Tears
by black.maple.tree
Summary: As the old story goes, The Niwa family tried to steal the Black Wings from the Hikari family while they were giving it life. But just where did that life energy come from...? SatoshiOC SatoshixOC On hiatus, being rewritten.
1. New girl at Azumano

I do not own DNAngel

"Oh my god—I'm gonna be late _again_!" Daisuke ran through the streets, taking back roads and jumping fences. It was another beautiful day in Azumano, but Daisuke's luck was already taking a turn for the worst. He ran into his classroom and opened the door just as the bell rang, gasping for air.

"I'm very sorry for being late"

"Ah, Daisuke! Check it out! Look at the empty seat in the back!" his friend Takeshi practically yelled in his ear.

In the back was a small brown haired girl, with bangs falling over her eyes. She was staring at her desk, looking slightly frightened.

"Is she a new student?" asked Daisuke

"Well duh! And she's a transfer student from Hokkaido—a country girl!"

The girl shifted in her seat.

"I think she can hear you, Saehara-kun. You're scaring her." Said Daisuke's friend Riku, from behind them.

"Oh, H-hi Riku-san!" replied Daisuke, nervous as usual.

"Hey, did you hear?" asked Risa. "That girl is from Hokkaido, and she came here all by herself! Isn't that weird?"

"Jeez, Risa. You should mind your own business" Retorted her older sister.

"Okay class, settle down." Said their teacher. "As you can see, we have a new student today. Would you stand up, Inochi-san?" The girl stood up timidly. "Would you like me to introduce you?" asked the teacher. She nodded shyly.

"Class, this is Inochi Shizuka-san. She just moved here from Hokkaido. I know you will all be very friendly and help her get acquainted with the school. Now, let's begin today's lesson…"

Shizuka sat down quickly, dropping her pencil. Before she could pick it up, a blue haired boy bent over and picked it up for her. She reached to take it from him, but when their hands touched, something sparked. _What happened?_ _Who is that?_ She thought. _He looks so serious…_

Meanwhile, Satoshi stared at the girl for a minute, trying to place what was unusual about her. _Maybe it's just my imagination_, he thought.

Time for lunch! Riku, Daisuke, and Risa went up to Shizuka, who was still staring at the desk.

"Hey! I'm Harada Riku, and this is my sister Risa" Said Riku, cheerfully.

"I'm Niwa Daisuke! Nice to meet you, Inochi-san." Added Daisuke.

"Hey, Inochi-san? Wanna come sit with us?" asked Risa.

"u-um… I don't know…" she said shakily. "I--"

"GREAT!" Interrupted Risa, grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the room.

"There she goes again…" Said Riku, hopelessly. She and Daisuke started to follow Risa, but Daisuke turned around and faced Satoshi.

"Hiwatari-kun, won't you come sit with us?"

"Niwa, he never sits with anyone—why do you ask?" whispered Riku

"Actually, I think I will. If you don't mind, that is." He replied.

"Ah—okay! Great!", Said Daisuke happily.

Satoshi walked behind them, thinking. _I need to find out more about that girl. Something about her… isn't natural…_

AU: This is my first story in while… And my first non-oneshot! It's also my first D. fic… my first CharOC… and my first romance story! So, anyway, this chapter kind of really explained—nothing. And I realize you didn't get to meet the OC yet, like REALLY meet her, but this chapter is kind of a way for me to be like—oh I posted a chapter—I should continue the story now. That way, I can't get_ too_ lazy and not update. I already have the whole story in my head, so this shouldn't take very long to post! Thanks for reading—story gets better, and will probably switch to Shizuka's point of view. Ja, mata!

.tree

Shizuka: Silence

Inochi: Life

Hokkaido: Northern most, and largest, island of Japan—mostly country.

Look for an honorific key on my profile!


	2. Friends and Secrets

I do not own DNAngel

Shizuka walked down the hallway with Risa, Riku, Daisuke, and Satoshi. They were all asking her questions at the same time, well, except for Satoshi, who was walking behind them. She was trying to figure out what had happened back in the classroom and why she had felt so strange. And, more importantly, if Satoshi had felt it, too.

"Inochi-san, were you listening?"

"oh—um…what was that?" She asked. She wasn't really in the mood for questions.

"I said, Do you want to come over after school today? Maybe we could show you around town!" Exclaimed Risa.

"Oh, well, I'm kind of busy…" She lied. She couldn't have them find out about… well…

"Oh, yeah! You just moved here! You must need help unpacking! Why don't we come over and help you!" offered Riku.

At this, Shizuka panicked. "NO! um… my house is.. really dirty… I couldn't have guests over." She needed to get away from them now, before they could ask more questions.

Meanwhile, Satoshi was in deep thought in the background. _Why did she freak out like that? Is she hiding something? Maybe an abusive parent? But she lives by herself… or, she could be…_

'You seem to be thinking a lot about this girl, Satoshi-sama.' Taunted Krad. 'Perhaps you're becoming fond of her…'

_Shut up, Krad—this has nothing to do with you. _Replied Satoshi.

'Oh, I think it has more to do with me than you know…'

"Hey Hiwatari-kun, what do you think of the new girl?" asked Daisuke.

"W-why?"

"Uhh… I just wanted to know…" The girls had already sat down, and Satoshi and Daisuke were standing out of ear-shot. "She seems a little strange, huh?"

"Yeah… I think I'll go to the library instead. See you later…"

"What?! You're not going to eat lunch?"

_I have to make sure. _Thought Satoshi.

In the Lunchroom…

"Hey, Niwa? Where did Hiwatari-kun go?" asked Riku. "Isn't he going to eat anything?"

"He said he had to go to the library for something…"

"What?! How rude! We have a new student, and he doesn't even introduce himself!" said Risa. "Well, we'll do it for him, then. Inochi-san, that was Hiwatari Satoshi-kun. He's really serious all the time, as you can see" She said annoyed.

"Risa! That's not nice! He's just… different is all. Daisuke, you know him better. Why don't _you _introduce him?"

"Well, he's just misunderstood. He's not mean, don't get the wrong idea. He's just really quiet." Said Daisuke.

~~~Awkward Silence~~~

"Well then, he's still scary to me!" Said Risa loudly. "Nee, Inochi-san, have you heard of Phantom Thief Dark?" Shizuka, who had been quiet all this time, suddenly snapped out of it. "Phantom Dark?"

"Yeah! Y'know, the art thief! He's sooo dreamy!!!"

"Stop scaring her Risa!" yelled Riku.

"Hey, Inochi-san, are you okay? You don't look so well." Said Daisuke, worried. "You look kind of pale…"

Shizuka was still thinking about Satoshi. He's kind of like her, in a way… Maybe if she talked to him, she'd know what happened. Maybe it was just an electric shock…

"Hey, Inochi-san…" Daisuke tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention, but when he touched her, the same thing happened with Satoshi. The two felt a shock for a brief second. Shizuka was taken completely by surprise.

"W-what happened?!" She exclaimed. She was a little freaked out now, since it happened twice. This was too weird.

"Ah! N-nothing!" Yelled Daisuke.

Riku and Risa looked towards them. "What's going on?" asked Risa.

"Oh, nothing! I think I just scared her, is all. We got a shock." Laughed Daisuke.

'Daisuke, did you feel that?' asked Dark.

_Yeah, so you felt it too…_

'I knew it. I guess her last name wasn't just a coincidence.'

_What are you talking about?_

'I think I'll let Kosuke explain that one to you. It's a little… complicated. What's important, though, is that we keep her away from Hiwatari.'

_Hiwatari-kun? Why?_

'I don't think Krad is too happy to see her… I hope he hasn't caught on yet…'

"Hey, Niwa-kun! The bell rang!"

"Ah! Coming Riku-san!"

'We'll talk later' said Dark.

In the Library…

"I knew it. Why didn't I see it before?" Satoshi said stupidly.

_I need to stay away from her. I can't even look at her…_

'Why, Satoshi-sama, you seem uncharacteristically surprised.'

_I'm_ surprised _that you didn't say something about this sooner. _Satoshi stated, clearly pissed off.

'It's no big deal. Just another girl at school. You seem to have had no problem ignoring them in the past—'

_THIS IS NO ORDINARY GIRL, KRAD, SO STOP PLAYING DUMB!_

'Well, anyway, let's get along now. Who knows what'll happen _now_, Satoshi-sama.'

_Yeah… who knows…_ He thought to himself.

AU: So, I think this left off at a pretty good spot. I wonder, actually, if it's easy to see where this story is going. I gave some hints, but I hope at least something will be a surprise. Next chapter will reveal what everyone is talking about, and will provide a basis for the rest of the story. Things should start to really heat up around chapter…4 or 5. I'll say 5 to be safe… Anyway, thanks for reading!

~.tree

I've been using honorifics, but I'm at a loss as to whether or not I should use the Japanese terms for 'mother' and 'father'. Would everyone know what I was talking about?

Okaa-san: Mother

Otou-san- Father

Ojii-san- Grandfather


	3. The Inochi family

I do not own DNAngel

Ring! After the final bell, Shizuka began packing up for the day and walking home. She lived a little farther from Azumano High than most kids—she lived in an apartment complex in a poorer part of town. She couldn't afford to live anywhere else. She held up a part-time job to pay the rent, though. She tuned and fixed string instruments at a music shop. She liked to write music in her spare time, but didn't really know what to do with it. When she got home, she changed and started homework. She had to be at the music shop in an hour, which meant she only had half an hour to do homework.

…………..

"I'm home!" shouted Daisuke. It had been a long day at school, since he had to stay after for art club. Plus, he had to go out tonight to steal a pendant called 'The Weaver of Time' that was in a museum all the way across town. Satoshi had given a pretty good chase today, too, so he was wiped out. Dark had already sealed it, though, so he could just relax now.

"Welcome back, Dai-chan!" replied his energetic mother, Emiko. "How was school?"

"It was good, but listen. We have a new student from Hokkaido. Dark says he needs to talk to Tou-san about her. He says there's something weird about her."

"Oh, my…" Emiko's faced changed. She knew this couldn't be good. "Your father's in the basement, I'll go down with you".

………………….

"I'm here!" called Shizuka. The woman who owned the shop she worked at was old and widowed, and quite well off. She just sold instruments as a hobby.

"Oh, good. We have a bunch of new arrivals today that need to have strings put on and an old cello that needs it's bow re-strung."

"Okay. I'll get right on it". Shizuka actually enjoyed work. She got to handle the instruments and music, and was able to teach herself how to play all of them. Sometimes, when it was a slow day, she played and wrote music at the store.

……………………..

"Daisuke, let's let Dark take over for a little bit." Said Kosuke.

"Right, Tou-san." Daisuke blushed, thinking of his crush Riku, and transformed into Dark.

"Alright—let's not waste time." He said. "There's a new girl at Daisuke's school. Inochi Shizuka, was it? Well, she and Daisuke emitted some kind of shock when they touched, and it had a magical quality. I want to know exactly where she came from…"

"Perhaps it has to do with her last name, Inochi…" Started Kosuke, "If I remember correctly, there was something about the Inochi bloodline in the Black Wings legend, but it was presumed to be false, just a myth…"

"But what are the chances of her last name just being a coincidence? I think we should investigate this a little. Do you know the story, Kosuke?"

"Yes. From what I've read, The Inochi family was closely tied with the Hikari family. The Inochi family were a family of… well… healers. This held true for all the women in their clan. Men couldn't use their power, but had the gene, so it could be passed on. They could use their life energy to heal wounds, cure diseases, and even transfer energy to someone else to save them from dying. That is, as long as they weren't already dead. This was dangerous, however, because it took a lot of effort to transfer energy, and even healing larger wounds and more fatal diseases could be dangerous to the healer. They could also take life, absorbing it from others, and could kill that way, but they never really used it. That was even more dangerous. Normally, they would regenerate their own life force on their own, but if they had already used so much energy, their bodies would begin to have trouble functioning. They would be sick for weeks, their immune systems failing, and they would become exhausted. They wouldn't be able to get better for weeks, even months."

…………….

Shizuka began walking home after her shift at work. It was really cold out, and it looked like it was going to rain soon. _I hope I get home before the rain starts_, she thought.

She was walking along the sidewalk, when suddenly, she began feeling dizzy. She stopped for a second and leaned against a building to try to regain her composure.

_What's wrong with me?_ She thought. _I can't walk home… maybe I should sit down for a few minutes…_

………………….

"Sounds miserable… so they all died out?" asked Dark.

"Not quite. You see, they were close with the Hikari family, and the Hikari family eventually persuaded them to use some of their life force to bring their art to life. That spark of life in the pieces of art that captures everyone's hearts is from the Inochi family. However, the Hikari family became greedier and greedier, and eventually asked too much of the Inochi family, even getting some of them sick. One of them died, and that was the final straw. When they refused to help the Hikari, they became angry, and kidnapped a girl, forcing her power out to feed their artworks life. They became obsessive in their antics, and tried to make a real, living artwork, not like the simple spark of life they had been using. They drained the girl's life to bring the Black Wings to life. Of course, you know what happened next."

"The Niwa family tried to steal the Black Wings while it was being given life." Said Dark, a little smugly.

"Right, and they interrupted the ceremony. This was when Dark and Krad were born. The Niwa family and the Hikari family were both cursed, and the Inochi family got a curse all their own. Their powers were locked up—they couldn't give or take life anymore. Instead, life began slowly draining from them. The effect reversed itself. Their life spans shortened, and continued shortening with each generation. Still, they've managed to survive by going into hiding, I suppose. This is why we thought they died out—we haven't seen anyone from that bloodline for a few generations now…"

"That's incredible—I can't believe how much they were impacted by this as well…" Said Emiko.

"So, Inochi-san is part of our curse? Is that why there was a spark?" Asked Daisuke, in Dark's mind.

"I guess so. We need to keep her away from Hiwatari, though. I have no idea how Krad will react when he realizes who she is…"

……………..

She was really sick now. It had just started raining a few minutes ago, but now it was pouring. She had wandered into an alley and was sitting behind a dumpster. The world was spinning and everything looked blurry. She couldn't even stand anymore—she just slumped back down. She soon fell asleep against the dumpster, soaked from the rain.

……………..

Satoshi was on his way home from an exhausting chase with Dark. He could have taken a limo, but he didn't want to have to deal with his father right now. While he was walking down the street, he thought he saw a shadow in a near-by alley. He went inside to investigate, and to his surprise, saw Shizuka sitting there, looking pale and dazed. He quickly took off his jacket and wrapped it around her, kneeling down in front of her.

"Inochi-san? Inochi-san, what are you doing here? Are you okay?"

She looked up, startled, "Hiwatari-kun? Where—"

"You're soaking wet—how long have you been here? Were you attacked?" He was a little panicked, seeing as how she couldn't even hold her head up.

"I'm fine… I just… felt sick…. So I came here... to rest a... minute…" She began to lose consciousness, and fell into his arms. The last thing she felt was Satoshi picking her up and carrying her off.

'What are you going to do, Satoshi-sama?' asked Krad. 'You can't take her to the hospital—surely you can feel the magic radiating off her.'

It was true—she was giving off strong waves of magic. Even Satoshi could sense it.

_I'll just bring her to my house_, he answered. _She needs to rest. _

Looking at the sleeping girl in his arms, he blushed slightly.

_What? Why am I blushing?_

AU: Okay—I managed to fit everything into one chapter. This should have been two

Enough said—hope you enjoyed. Please review, by the way. I need to know what you guys are thinking!


	4. At Satoshi's place

I do not own DNAngel

"I don't get it, Dark. If the effect was reversed, shouldn't Inochi-san be absorbing life, since her family had always been giving it?" Asked Daisuke.

'Well, I don't really know. Maybe we should ask Shizuka.'

"WHAT? We can't just go up to her and say, 'hey, is your family cursed?' It doesn't work that way!"

'Why not?! That's what Kosuke did to Hiwatari!'

"Hey, Dai-chan! Your father wants to talk to you!" Called Emiko. Daisuke hurried downstairs and met his father in the kitchen.

"Daisuke, I want you to invite Inochi-san over for dinner tomorrow. Invite your other friends, too. That way, it won't seem as though we're singling her out."

"What about… Hiwatari-kun?"

"Invite him, too. Maybe he knows something about this as well."

……………………………….

_Huh? Where am I? _Shizuka sat up and found herself in a large bed with white sheets. Her clothes had been changed, and there was cloth wrapped around her left arm.

_What happened?_

"Oh, good. You're awake." Came a boy's voice. She turned around and saw Satoshi standing near the door. "Are you okay? You fainted on your way home, and I found you. So I brought you here. Your arm was scraped, so I tied it up."

"H-hiwatari-kun?!" She stammered. This was way too much excitement to wake up to. "You carried me here?"

"Are you feeling any better? You looked really pale last night." He walked over to her and placed his hand on her forehead to take her temperature. "You don't seem sick. Do you know what happened?"

"Um… no, not really. I just felt really nauseous all of a sudden and needed to sit down. I guess I fell asleep…"

"You shouldn't have been walking home by yourself like that. You live in a really dangerous part of town. You're lucky I found you before some pervert did. What were you doing out that late?"

"I have work, so I--"

Suddenly, Satoshi's cell phone began ringing. It was just a regular ring, nothing fancy. He didn't see why people spent so much money on ring tones. "Excuse me a moment…"

Shizuka's head was buzzing with questions. _Why was Hiwatari-kun out there? Where are his parents? What happened to me in the alley?_

"I'm sorry." Satoshi walked back in the room. "That was my father."

"Oh… doesn't here live here?" She asked. Satoshi just shook his head.

"Oh… I didn't mean to pry or anything. Sorry!"

"Pfft. It's okay. I didn't say anything." _She's cute… _He thought, shyly.

'What's so funny, Satoshi-sama? Why are you smiling?' taunted Krad.

"Oh! School! We're going to be late if we—"

"I called us both in sick. We wouldn't make it anyway. It's already passed the bell."

"Oh…"

……………………..

"Hey, Niwa-kun? Have you seen Hiwatari-kun or Inochi-san today?" Asked Riku.

"No… I think they're absent."

"That's weird… Hiwatari-kun is never absent... I hope Inochi-san is okay. She seemed quiet yesterday. Do you think she was sick?"

"Oh, maybe…" Daisuke trailed off. He knew that Inochi-san was sick… just not the way Riku was thinking. "Oh, Riku-san? Will you and Harada-san come to my house for dinner tomorrow night?"

"Sure! Sounds like fun!" Said Riku, cheerfully. Daisuke's parents had come up with a whole scheme on how to get Shizuka alone to ask her questions without anyone noticing. Although, with Satoshi there, that could be difficult.

"Great! I want to ask Hiwatari-kun and Inochi-san, too. I hope they're not too sick to come…"

………………….

"Hey, Hiwatari-kun? You look tired? Are you okay?" It was past noon. Shizuka ended up spending the day with Satoshi—he insisted she stay there to make sure she wasn't sick.

"I'm fine." He lied. It took everything he had to keep Krad from coming out last night. Just the thought of what Krad would do to her if he got the chance was… sickening.

He knew her secret—her background with his and Niwa's families. She was a healer from the long-forgotten Inochi clan, who was cursed when the Black Wings split into Dark and Krad. He wanted to bring up the topic, but couldn't figure out how…

"Hey, Inochi-san. What happened to you in the alley? Are you _sure _you don't know?"

He asked for the billionth time that day. If only she could say 'I think my life suddenly began draining', or something like that, then he could see what she knew about the situation. _I wonder if she knows I'm Krad? Or that Niwa's Dark?_

'Satoshi-sama, why do you want her to know? It won't make a difference…'

_She has a right to know what's happening to her. _

*Ring!* went the phone… "I'll be right back", said Satoshi.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Hiwatari-kun, it's me, Daisuke!"

"Oh… hi."

"Are you alright? You're never absent…"

"I'm fine. Is there something you wanted to talk about?"

"Not really… oh, tomorrow, Riku-san and Harada-san are coming to my house for dinner! Would you like to come, too? I'm going to ask Inochi-san, also."

Satoshi thought for a minute… _We can't just be going over for dinner. His family must want to talk to Inochi-san… they must have already figured it out. I might as well see what they want. If the Haradas are going, they can't be trying to do anything serious._

"Sure. I'll come. Actually, I was just talking to Inochi-san a minute ago. I'm sure she'd want to go, too." _Better not tell them she's here…_

"Okay, great! We'll see you tomorrow around six, then. Okay?"

"Yeah. Six."

"Okay—bye!"

Satoshi hung up the phone. Now he had to tell Inochi-san about tomorrow. And about who he really is. It would be easier for her to already know, since it seemed that the Niwas planned on telling her, anyway.

"Inochi-san. That was Niwa-kun. He wanted to know if we could go to his house for dinner tomorrow night. I said yes for you, too. If that's okay…"

"Oh—sure!" She just moved here, and she already had made some friends. She didn't even plan on making friends in the first place, but somehow, it kind of happened without her realizing…

"Listen… There's something you should know…"

…………….

"So they're both coming?" Asked Kosuke.

"Yes… I was worried, since they were both out sick today. And how weird that

Hiwatari-kun answered for her…"

'Maybe they're secret lovers or something' snickered Dark.

_They just met yesterday!_

'You'll never know…'

"Okay. Emiko will take Riku and Risa into the kitchen to help with Dinner, and Daiki can start a conversation with Hiwatari. Then, ask Inochi-san to go upstairs to get a tour of the house. I'll confront her there." Kosuke explained. _If Hiwatari is going to be here, we can't afford a screw up._

"Okay…" _Why does it sound like a military plan?_

……………………

"Well, do you know your family's history?"

"What?" _What could he mean by that?_

"Your bloodline. Do you know of anything… unusual in your family's background?"

"well…." _He couldn't possibly know about the curse, right?_

'Satoshi-sama, this is getting nowhere. Just ask her.' Pleaded Krad. He had endured Satoshi's thoughts all day long, and was sick of him asking himself _should I ask her yet?_

"Fine", said Satoshi. This was going to be weird. "Is your family cursed?"

………………………….

AU: So, what do you think? I need reviews, guys. People ARE reading this, so just say 'hello', if nothing else. So Satoshi may seem a little OOC in this chapter. Hopefully not, though… Next chapter will have a conversation between Satoshi and Shizuka, and will bring up something kind of ominous. Also, Daisuke's 'party' will be there, too, so stay tuned. By the way, isn't it funny how almost every SatoshiOC fic has a seen when the OC wakes up in Satoshi's house after fainting? I just realized that as I was reading this over. Oh well—sorry if it's getting old. Ja, ne!

I'm a purple button. (Look down.)

Press me.


	5. A Darker Curse

I do not own DNAngel

"Is your family cursed?"

"W-what? What are you talking about?" _How could he know something like that? Is he just joking? But he doesn't really seem like the type to joke around…_

"I think you know _exactly_ what I'm talking about." Said Satoshi. Ouch. He didn't want to sound mean, but there's really no other way to put it…

Her face went blank, then she said, quietly, "How could you know something like that?"

"My name", He started slowly, "is Hikari Satoshi". Her face went pale.

"Don't worry" He added quickly. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not interested in continuing my bloodline's… antics." He didn't want her to hate him. He just realized how scared she must be right now.

'It looks like you scared the poor girl. Now she'll reject you and never speak to you again.'

_Shut up, Krad. You don't know what you're talking about. _He didn't want to admit Krad might be right.

"So… you're a…" How could she not have seen it before?

"A Hikari, yes."

"So… Niwa-kun really is…"

"He is Dark and I am Krad, but you know all about that. What _we _don't know, however, is who _you_ are. Your family's been hiding for generations. And what about that incident in the alley? Is that part of your curse? Niwa's family will want to talk about it tomorrow night, so you may as well tell me first."

Shizuka was in complete shock. Of all people, how could she have found these two so fast? She just wanted to get out of the country, but she had no idea that they both lived in this town! After a few moments of silence, Shizuka decided to tell him everything. She was sure he wouldn't hurt her—he seemed so gentle. And at this point, nothing could stop her own fate from being carried out, so whether or not he knew would make no difference.

"I… don't know where to start…" She said shyly.

Suddenly, Satoshi's face softened, and he sat down next to her.

"Just start from the beginning." He said. She smiled.

……………..

"Dai-chan! Don't forget you need to steal 'Neptune's Relic' at 11 tomorrow night, so your friends can't stay too long!"

"I know, Kaa-san. You don't need to keep reminding me!" yelled Daisuke. God, his mom sure was energetic.

_I hope that Hiwatari-kun and Inochi-san are alright. It's so weird how Hiwatari-kun just… answered for her. Were they hanging out? That's good! Hiwatari-kun is finally making more friends!_

'I don't know about that, Daisuke. Something must have happened.'

_Like what?_

'I don't know. We'll find out tomorrow. I just hope Krad hasn't gotten to her yet…'

………………………………..

"…Wow." Satoshi was speechless. He hadn't heard this much about the Inochi's side of the curse. There was more to it than he could have imagined.

"Y-yeah… so, is that all you wanted to know?"

As it turns out, the Inochi family is connected with all the Hikari artworks. Each time Dark steals an artwork, he has to seal it to prevent it from coming to life. However, each time he does this, the energy is drained directly from the Inochi bloodline's heir—in this case, Shizuka. Her family has been getting weaker and weaker, and now, with her mother and father dead, she's the only one left. They're life spans have gotten shorter, too. Satoshi didn't want to ask how much time she had left, but was nervous that she might not have much. She left Hokkaido to try to escape those memories, of her parent's deaths, but she ended up finding, instead, the heir's of her enemies.

_That bastard Dark—does he know about this?!_

'If you didn't, then he doesn't, either.' Said Krad. 'I feel no sorrow for the girl at all—she gets what she deserves. Her family shouldn't have gone against us like that.'

_AND WE SHOULDN'T HAVE KILLED THEM TO GET WHAT WE WANTED!! HOW COULD WE HAVE BEEN SO SELFISH!_

'You wouldn't do the same?'

_Absolutely not!_

Satoshi was really angry now. Shizuka's life was shortened every time he failed to capture Dark. He felt a little responsible. _Completely_ responsible.

'Why are you so sad now, Satoshi-sama? Could you "like" this girl? This _Inochi_ girl?'

_Shut UP, Krad—for the last time JUST SHUT UP!_

Satoshi looked really tense now. Shizuka tapped him lightly on the shoulder.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?"

He looked away. "uh... yeah. I'm fine. I'll go get us something to eat."

He walked out of the room, and clutched his stomach in pain.

"Krad—not now!" He fell to the floor, and clenched his fists.

"NO! You're not coming out now!"

"Hikari-kun?" Shizuka called. She was watching him from the doorway. "Are you okay?"

In an instant, Krad had stopped trying to come out, and Satoshi got up and blushed, embarrassed she had to see that. Or, embarrassed that she called him by his real name? And that he liked it?

"It's nothing."

They ended up spending the rest of the day in Satoshi's apartment, and Satoshi told her that he was the Special Commander in charge of capturing Dark.

"Wow—that's incredible!"

"Not really. Listen, Dark's been getting away, but I promise I won't let him off so easy now. I'm going to try much harder" He said, taking responsibility. _That day in the alley, _he thought_, she was in pain because of me. I should have tried harder._

"O-okay…" _He's so kind to me—why isn't he like this around his friends at school?_

Eventually, It got late and it was time for Shizuka to go home. Satoshi walked her to her house, and offered to walk with her to Daisuke's house after school tomorrow.

"Thanks for walking me home, Hikari-kun."

"No problem. Thanks for… hanging out with me today." He was smiling. He liked the way his name sounded when she said it.

'You like her. I can't believe how... stupid you've become, Satoshi-sama.'

"So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then." _He's such a gentleman. He's nothing like the other members of the Hikari family. Or, at least, what I've heard of them..._

"Yeah, see you tomorrow." He had never used that phrase before.

Satoshi walked back home and opened the door. Then he froze.

_Dark's stealing something tomorrow night. I can't let him get to that artwork. For Shizuka's sake. Her life is on the line now._

'They invited us over on a day when Dark has work? That's bold of them.'

_Would you shut up for one second, Krad?! No one asked for your opinion!_

'So what are you going to do Satoshi-sama?'

_I don't know!_

"I don't know" He said out loud to himself. He looked out the window at the rain that just started to pour, and, for the first time, felt that he HAD to capture Dark. There could be no more games.

"Tomorrow, I'm going to capture Dark."

AU: Change of plans! This chapter was longer than I expected, so Daisuke's 'party' will have to wait until next chapter! And seriously, guys. REVIEW. PLEASE. I'll stop posting if I don't get some reviews.


	6. What's wrong with me?

I do not own DNAngel

Knock Knock…

"Oh, Dai-chan! Someone's at the door!"

Daisuke ran to answer the door, almost tripping down the stairs. He had just finished cleaning up his room, and hiding all the drawings he had done of Riku….

"Coming!" He opened the door, and saw…

"Ah, hello Riku-san, Harada-san! Please come in!"

"Thanks, Niwa-kun. Are Hiwatari-kun and Inochi-san coming?" asked Riku.

"Yup—they'll be here any minute."

"Welcome, girls." Said Emiko. "I'm Daisuke's mother. We're very glad to have you over."

Daisuke's mom and dad's main goal of the evening was to get Shizuka to tell them about her family curse, and to keep Satoshi pre-occupied while they were doing so. Daisuke and Dark, however, were the only ones who realized just how hard that would be. If he had already figured it out, he was bound to stick to her like glue, to avoid her having a confrontation with them.

"Thank you for having us!" The twins replied in unison.

On top of that, Daisuke would have to keep the Harada twins busy. Daisuke's mom was going to ask them for help with dinner, but if Daisuke was 'upstairs with Shizuka' for too long, they'd get suspicious. Then, everyone had to be out of the house before ten o'clock, so that Daisuke could get ready to go steal at eleven o'clock. What a day this would be.

……………………..

"Uh, good evening" murmured Satoshi sheepishly. He hadn't ever done something like this before, so it was kind of embarrassing.

"Yeah… good evening…" Agreed Shizuka. It was time to go to Daisuke's house, and Satoshi was walking her there. Even though they were just going to a friend's house, it was kind of… awkward. To be walking there with Satoshi. Not in a bad way, though. Just…

"So, uh… wanna get going?" He asked. He couldn't take much more of this silence.

"Uh-huh."

"It's so cold out—is that all you're wearing? It's supposed to rain later on tonight, too." He asked, referring to her jacket. It was just a light spring jacket—not very warm. She didn't have the money to buy a real winter jacket. They were much too expensive.

"Oh, it's fine. I don't have a—"

"Wear this." He said, handing her his jacket.

'You're being awfully… nice, Satoshi-sama.'

_It's freezing out here. She'll get sick if she just wears that._

'Why do you care? Do you… 'like' her? You never did answer me when I last asked you.' Krad was just being mean now. He knew Satoshi liked her, from his thoughts. Actually, she's all he's been able to think about lately. It was annoying, really.

"Oh, no—you'll get sick!"

At that, Satoshi put it on her himself, but she stepped out too quickly. He began chasing after her, and before he knew it, they were playing tag, and Satoshi was 'it'.

"No! Hikari-kun, you don't have to give it to me!" She laughed. _I haven't had this much fun in a while!_

They went on like that for a while, running down the backroads.

"Would you stop being so stubborn and take it?!" He yelled laughing. _Laughing._ This was too much fun.

'You have to be kidding me, Satoshi-sama.'

They continued running around until Shizuka tripped in the snow and fell. Satoshi knelt down and forced the jacket on her, zipping it up so she couldn't run away again. Then he stood up and extended a hand to help her up. Shizuka took it reluctantly, blushing. Neither of them were wearing gloves.

"Now, are you going to stay with me, or should I hold your hand the whole way there to make sure you don't run away again?" He asked, joking. Then, when he realized what he had just said, he looked away, blushing.

"No…" She said quietly. Shizuka was really nervous suddenly. She couldn't think straight, and had butterflies in her stomach. _What's wrong with me? He's so close…_

"Then," he whispered, taking a step closer, "should I let go?" _What am I saying? Am I sick?_

'No, but you _are _in love. And what _are_ you saying? Since when did you even _think_ this stuff?' Krad added, disgusted at his tamer's choice.

Shizuka gripped his hand tighter, and tried to look away, but couldn't. "I…I…" she started.

When she didn't answer, Satoshi stepped closer and leaned in so their foreheads were touching. Shizuka felt dizzy, and stopped thinking completely.

"Should I let go?" he repeated. Any self-control he had was gone, and he no longer knew what he was doing.

Shizuka swallowed and tried to say something, but froze up. She could feel his breath on her face, and couldn't look away from his eyes, which were so, so close.

Satoshi leaned in, and was about to kiss her, when…

"Ah! Hiwatari-kun! Inochi-san! Come on in!" Said Daisuke, from the doorway. Without realizing it, they had made their way to Daisuke's house.

'Thank god. I would have hated to have to witness that.' Stated Krad. 'Since when were you so romantic, Satoshi-sama? You can't even deny it now—you almost kissed her.'

Satoshi and Shizuka jumped away immediately. "N-niwa-kun! T-thanks for having us over" Stuttered Satoshi politely. _How embarrassing. I'm sure Dark saw that, too. Why did we end up here, of all places?_

……………..

'Daisuke? Did you see that?' Asked Dark, amused.

_I-I'm sure it wasn't what it looked like—nothing ever is, after all_.

'I _knew_ they were secret lovers', snickered Dark. 'Still, I never expected something like _this_ to come from Hiwatari. I'd think he'd be more aware of where he was if he was going to do something like that.'

"Uh, Come in, it's cold outside. Riku-san and Harada-san are already here." Daisuke said, blushing. _I can't believe I interrupted that! I feel terrible!_

'Don't. If you hadn't, Krad would have been even angrier than he probably is now.'

"Thank you for inviting me over, Niwa-kun." Shizuka said politely, obviously not over the whole incident yet.

………………….

"So, Inochi-san, you're new to this town, correct?" Asked Kosuke. They were in the living room, along with Daisuke, Satoshi, and Daiki. Emiko had taken Riku and Risa into the kitchen.

'Any minute now, the Niwa's will make their move. In which case, you should follow them to see what they know.' Instructed Krad.

_Shut up. I know what to do._

'Are you still sore about what happened outside?'

_No! That's not… leave me alone._

'Not until you admit it. Admit that you love her' Krad said, resolving to make Satoshi miserable until he did so. Then, he would make him even more miserable. How _dare_ he do something so stupid as to fall in love!

………………………….

'Satoshi looks mad. You shouldn't have just barged in on them like that, Daisuke. That could have been, no probably _would_ have been their first kiss. Both of them.' Dark said jokingly.

_I told you it was an accident! _

"Ah, Daisuke. I'm going to go help your mother in the kitchen. Why don't you take Inochi-san to see the rest of the house."

'Here we go' said Dark.

"Okay, Come on, Inochi-san!" He said, leading her off. Satoshi was about to follow, when Daiki stopped him. "Ah! Not so fast, young man. You know how to play chess, right?"

Satoshi nodded reluctantly.

"Well, do I have a story to tell you!" He began, enthusiastically. "You see, when I was just about your age, I was the chess champion of the whole town! It all started when…"

_So, _Satoshi sighed._ This is their tactic. I can't just be rude and leave, but I need to go see what they're talking about… _

'what are you going to do, then?'

Then, he saw Risa entering the downstairs bathroom across the hall.

"Excuse me, Niwa-san, but I need to use the restroom."

"Oh, okay… well, it looks like the downstairs one is occupied… I supposed you'll have to go upstairs. Daisuke can show you where it is."

"Thank you"

'Nice. Manners are your strong point, after all'.

_Shut up._

………………..

"Inochi-san, allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Niwa Kosuke, Daisuke's father. I'm not a Niwa by blood, I just married into the family. I'm a researcher of the Cultural Reformation. Have you heard of it?"

She nodded slowly.

"And, have you heard of the legend of the Black Wings?"

She nodded.

"Then, you know what we wanted to ask you?"

"Yes…"

"Then, why don't we begin?" Said Kosuke, as kindly as he could.

AU: So, Here's the first real fluffy scene (yay!), and the first half of Dai's little get-together. Krad seems kind of annoying, doesn't he? Well, he'll be more violent in later chapters. PLEASE _**REVIEW**_ IF YOU WANT TO KEEP READING THIS STORY.

Thanks to those of you who favorited/reviewed.

Ja, ne!


	7. Promise

I do not own DNAngel

_Now… where are they… _Satoshi thought as he wandered around the upstairs hallway. He had just escaped what was sure to be a long rant from Daisuke's grandfather, and didn't want to be caught. That could only lead to more ranting. _Are they in Daisuke's room?_

_Or are they not upstairs at all? _Then, he heard a man's voice in a room down the hall. Sure enough, it was Daisuke's father talking to Shizuka. Daisuke was there too, sitting on the floor looking a little embarrassed. Satoshi stood by the door, which was opened a crack, and heard Kosuke asking Shizuka to tell her family's side of the story.

_Is she going to tell them? After all, she told me… I wonder how Dark would react if he knew what he was doing…_

'If Dark knew, he would continue to steal like normal. There is nothing he can do to help her, and nothing _you_ can do, either.' Replied Krad.

"Ah, Hiwatari-kun. Did you get lost?" Asked Daisuke's father, not surprised to see him at all.

"Yes…" _Damn it!_

'Way to go, Satoshi-sama. How will you explain this now?'

"Well, since you're here, why don't you join us. This is just as much your business as it is ours, after all." He said, pleasantly.

"Hikari-kun…?" she asked.

"Inochi-san was just talking about her side of the curse. You already know about it though, right? She's been awfully quiet about it…"

_What does he want me to say? Did Inochi-san really tell them?_

'If she said she told you, then you can't lie. Just go in and be quiet. It looks like they expected this to happen, anyway.'

Satoshi nodded, and entered the room, standing near the wall opposite Daisuke.

"So, Inochi-san, would you like to continue?"

"O-oh… I already told you all of it…"

"Oh, really? It wasn't like I had imagined."

"Y-yeah…" she said quietly.

_Did she tell them? Or did she make something up? But why?_

…………

'Daisuke, I think she's lying.'

_What? Why would you think that?_

'There has to be more to it than just that. According to her, the effect of their curse was reversed, and their bodies got weaker, like Kosuke said. That's leaving out the 'how' and 'why', though.'

_But if she told Hiwatari-kun, why would she hide it from us?_

'I don't know. Daisuke, your dad will leave first. We need to see what she says to Hiwatari, so let's hide in the next room. There's a speaker in there, so we can hear them.'

_Why are there so many traps in this house?!_

…………

_Krad?_

'So you're taking to me now? What is it, Satoshi-sama?'

_Did she…?_

'I don't know. Ask her.'

_You're not helping…_

'You never want my help.'

……………

"Well, your mother must be getting worried, Daisuke. I'll go downstairs. It should be time for dinner soon, so you guys should come down, too."

"Right. Come on, Hiwatari-kun, Inochi-san." Said Daisuke.

"We'll be right there." Said Satoshi. Daisuke left the room.

'So, he's making his move. Alright Daisuke, let's go.' Ordered Dark.

Daisuke went into the next room, and turned the speakers on.

"So, what happened?" Asked Satoshi.

"It's just like you said—they just wanted to know about the curse."

"Did you tell them?"

"Most of it…"

"What did you leave out?" He asked. "Oh… wait. I know. But why?"

"I just don't want for them to…. It seems so selfish… to say something like that. They don't know—I can't just expect them to stop for me."

"What?! Are you kidding! They _should_ stop! It's not fair—you didn't do anything—"

"Hikari-kun… it's okay." She said smiling sadly. _He's really worried about me… That makes me so… happy!_

They were both quiet for a while. Then, Satoshi spoke up.

"Let's go downstairs."

………….

'So… they are hiding something… I wonder if Hiwatari would tell us…'

_Dark! It's not our business!_

'I need to know!'

………………….

"Everyone! It's dinner time!" Called Emiko.

"Where have you been, Niwa-kun?" Asked Riku. They had been gone for at least a half hour.

"Oh, sorry! My dad needed help with something!"

"Hiwatari-kun, Inochi-san, You're okay!" Shouted Risa. "I was so worried you guys were, like, dying yesterday!"

"Risa!", Snapped Riku. "That's not nice!"

"Okay, everyone, let's go to the table…"

………………….

"So, what did she say?" asked Emiko.

"I think she left something out… It didn't all tie together like it should have. Let's just leave her alone for now. Whatever it is, she told Hiwatari-kun, but doesn't want us to know. We should respect her wishes." Said Kosuke, satisfied.

………………..

"Itadekimasu!" Said everyone in unison. The adults were eating in the next room. Daisuke sat at the end of the table, with Riku to his left, and Risa next to her. On his right sat Shizuka, and next to her Satoshi.

'Hey, Daisuke. When was the last time you had a date with Riku? Even Hiwatari has a girlfriend—you need to step it up!'

_Daaaark! Shut up! And what do you mean 'even Satoshi'? They're not dating—they just met a few days ago!_

'You'll never know. And after what happened in the yard, I'm not really sure… Hey, you didn't answer my question! When was the last time you went out with Riku?'

Daisuke dropped his chopsticks.

"Ummm, are you okay?" Asked Riku. "You're all red! Are you sick?!"

"N-no… I'm fine!"

'Daaaaaiiiisukeeeeee answer me' He taunted. This was too much fun, after all!

…………………..

'So, Satoshi-sama… are you going to ask her out?'

_What are you talking about?_ Asked Satoshi, annoyed.

'You know. Your 'sacred maiden'. When will you pledge your undying love?'

_You're ruining my appetite. Shut up._

"Hikari-kun? What's wrong?" asked Shizuka. Riku, Risa and Daisuke were wrapped up in their own conversation. Satoshi was staring at the table.

"Oh, nothing. So can I walk you home later? It's getting dark out." Ha. _Dark_ out. No pun intended.

"Oh, sure! Thank you!" She said happily. "You're such a gentleman, Hikari-kun" She added, looking away.

'This is so frustrating'

"You're welcome…"

'You're blushing. Why are you blushing? This is unbelievable.'

………………….

"Well, thanks for having us over, Niwa-kun!" Said Riku. It was already 10:00, and their mom would be worried if they weren't home soon.

"Bye, Niwa-kun!" Called Risa.

"Thanks for coming!" Daisuke said, closing the door when they were out of sight.

_What a relief. Now, after Hiwatari-kun and Inochi-san leave, we can—_

"Niwa-kun? Can I talk to you for a moment?" Asked Satoshi.

"Oh, sure."

_What could he want to talk about…_

"Listen… I know Dark and I have been playing games for a while now, but it's ending tonight. I can't afford to lose anymore, so I'm just warning you—I won't go so easy anymore. I _will_ capture Dark. Soon, if not tonight."

_What could he be talking about?_

'It must have something to do with Inochi. He likes her, after all. Ask him if he does—I want to see what he says.'

_No!_

"Hiwatari-kun… is there something wrong?"

"Nothing. I should get going."

………………

"Oh, Shizuka-chan! Could you help me with this?" Asked Emiko from the kitchen. She was cleaning up from dinner.

"O-oh, sure!" she replied, following her into the kitchen.

"I'm sorry if we scared you before—we really didn't mean to. My husband has been so worried about all three of you. He's looking for a way to break the curse." She laughed. "He won't be able to do it himself, but he wants to get you three on the right track. If there's something wrong, Shizuka-chan, you can tell us. Daisuke says you live alone, so if there's ever anything we can help you with, please don't hesitate to ask us!"

"Oh, thank you so much, but I'm fine, really…" She said timidly. _Daisuke's family is so nice to me. To everyone. Even Hikari-kun…_

"Daisuke also said you were with Hiwatari-kun the other day. Are you two friends?" She asked, curiously.

_What do I say? Do they not like Hikari-kun? Well, I guess not, but…_

"Oh, he was helping me with my homework…" She lied carefully.

"But weren't you both absent from school?"

"W-well, uh, I had a… doctor's appointment, and he offered to bring me there… by the time we got back, it was too late to go to school…" _They know. I'm such a bad liar. I hope Hikari-kun comes soon—he could think of something…_

"Hmmm…. And he walked you here today, right?"

"Y-yeah…" _Oh my god—did everyone see that? _She started blushing.

"Okay." She said, satisfied.

Shizuka sighed. _Thank god—I don't know if I could've kept that up much longer…_

"I think you like him" Emiko said bluntly.

"W-what? N-no that's not it…" She said quickly. "I just met him and—"

"That has nothing to do with it—you're nervous. Is he walking you home tonight?"

"Y-yeah…"

"Then be careful," She said sternly, "I don't trust that Hikari kid, and you shouldn't either. Especially not you! Don't let him trick you!"

"No," Shizuka started, "Hikari-kun… isn't like that…"

"Oh, really? And you know this how? Are you sure you don't like him?"

Shizuka was speechless.

"Okaa-san—what are you doing?" Asked Daisuke from the doorway, Satoshi following behind. Shizuka sighed in relief and looked to Satoshi, who singled it was time for them to go.

"Oh, I was just talking to her. You worry much too much, Dai-chan."

"I'm sorry, Niwa-san, but we have to go." Said Satoshi.

"Oh, of course" She said, knowing that he had to 'go' try to capture Dark tonight.

_It's amazing how polite the two of them can be, even though they're enemies…_ thought Daisuke.

"Thank you for having us over, Niwa-san." Said Shizuka, walking over to Satoshi.

"No, no. the pleasure is all ours! Let me show you to the door…"

"Bye Niwa-kun. Thanks again…"

"See you tomorrow, then!" He said, watching them leave.

…………..

"So, what did you think of Niwa's family?" Asked Satoshi, on the way home. Shizuka ended up wearing his jacket again, but didn't complain about it this time.

"They're all so nice!" She said happily.

"Yeah… Niwa's very lucky…" He trailed off.

"Hikari-kun… Your family…" She started

He smiled sadly. "They're all dead. I'm the last one, like you. I was adopted by the Azumano police Commissioner, Hiwatari Kei. He put me in charge of the police force to capture Dark."

"Then, tonight… you're going to the museum?"

"Yeah. Dark and I have been… playing games for a while now. But, now that I…" He paused. "Look, I'm going to try a lot harder. I want to protect you—I won't let Dark get away without a good fight. I _will_ capture Dark." He said, clearly nervous. "For you." He added. They had reached her doorstep, and Shizuka began taking off Satoshi's jacket, but he stopped her. "Keep it" he said.

"O-okay. Thank you, Hikari-kun… for everything… but don't worry about me too much."

"I _do_ worry. A lot."

'Satoshi-sama, you'll be late if you keep this up.' Krad reminded him.

"I should go" He said quickly. "I'll see you tomorrow at school, right?"

"Y-yeah… bye…"

'You need to hurry if you want to be able to keep your promise.'

_I know._

………………..

"You ready, Dai-chan?"

"Yeah…" _Hey, Dark, do you think Satoshi was serious?_

'Of course he was. But we'll just see if he can pull it off! There's no way I'll ever let him beat me.' Said Dark, confidently.

_But what if… he has a different reason to stop us…?_

AU: So, Satoshi is really serious now, and Krad is really annoyed. This was a fun chapter to write—it was so long. The next one will be even longer. **Please review**! If you're reading this story, there has to be _something_ you want to say about it!

Ja, mata!

All it takes is the push of a button and a couple of sentences. If you're reading this, _please_ give me five seconds of your time.

And, 'Itadekimasu' is what they say before a meal in Japan, to give thanks. Afterwards, they'd say 'Gochisousama deshita', meaning 'it was a feast', but I didn't include that.


	8. Battle for Neptune's Relic

I do not own DNAngel

Satoshi ran to the museum, getting there with fifteen minutes to spare.

"Commander," Said Inspector Saehara, "It's about time you got here. We've organized all the—"

"I don't have time to talk to you" He said in passing. _I have to get to the artwork. I can use some of Krad's magic to create a distraction, then get the artwork away from Dark. It doesn't matter if he gets away, so long as he doesn't touch this artwork!_

'Well, Satoshi-sama. You're lively tonight.'

"W-what? What an obnoxious brat! Thinking he can talk down to his elders…" muttered Detective Saehara. "Dectective, Dark has been sighted!" Said an officer.

"Well, what are you waiting for?! Secure the perimeter!"

………………..

'Are you ready, Daisuke?'

_Yeah, yeah… I'm so worn out from that dinner… I can't believe we even made it in time!_

Daisuke pulled out a picture he had of Riku, and transformed into Dark.

"Well, maybe this will wake you up. I can't wait to show Hiwatari what he's up against!" he said out loud.

'Don't be so mean, Dark. He looked really serious when he said that—what if he needs this artwork?'

_Don't be silly, Daisuke. This is no different from the others. Oh, here come the police._

A group of police officers charged at Dark, who had just landed on the roof of the museum. He took out a ball and threw it at them, triggering a net to unravel and trap them.

"Ha! Piece of cake, right Daisuke? Now, let's find the commander…" He walked through the halls briskly, not making a sound, and broke the code to the room where the relic was being kept.

"Commander? You in here?" He taunted.

'Dark, could you be anymore full of yourself?'

"Huh. Guess he decided not to show." Dark walked forward and took out a feather, holding it up to the relic. "I guess I'll just seal this up real quick and we can get outta here." He said, waiting for Satoshi to come out and attack. He began chanting something in Latin, when Satoshi used a magic barrier to push him away from the relic.

"Heh…. Long time, no see, Commander."

"Stop it, Dark. You can't break this seal—it's impossible. So just get out of here."

"You're kidding. There's no fun in that!" He said, penetrating the shield, but being forced backward.

"Oh, I see." He started. "This is just temporary. If you lose concentration, it'll break, right? Well, better not let your guard down." He snickered. He knew just how to win this fight. Satoshi's expression didn't waver at all.

"I guess I'll be doing all the talking tonight. So… let's talk about Shizuka-san." He said, smirking. Satoshi glared at Dark, but didn't say anything.

'Daaarrrrk!' Screamed Daisuke in his head. 'You can't do this!'

_Relax, let's see what he does. Besides, I need to break his concentration, so this'll kill two birds with one stone._

"Well, what do you think about her, Commander? The last member of the Inochi family… isn't that interesting."

"Just stop it—you're wasting your time." Satoshi replied coldly.

"I wonder—what was she doing at your house the other day?"

"That's none of your business."

"And what about earlier today? What happened? We saw everything—there's no use hiding it. I'm just concerned about what your _other self_ has to say about this…" He added, referring to Krad. "You know he'll hurt her. There's no way you can protect her, so it would be easier if you just stayed away from her. I could take your place, if you wanted…" He said, conceited as ever.

Satoshi looked a little sad, then started yelling.

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW?! _You're_ the one who's—" He stopped himself before he could say it. _You're the one's who's killing her!_

"Did I strike a nerve? I guess I was right. You do like her. Too bad. Because you couldn't stay away, Krad will probably kill her."

'This isn't funny, Dark!'

Satoshi stepped backward, and the seal broke. Dark made a grab for the relic, but Satoshi shoved him aside and ran with it. He was almost at the door when Dark locked it.

"DARK! Where are you?!" He screamed.

'Satoshi-sama, transform now! You can't do this on your own!'

"Right here, Commander." Said Dark, casually. He was holding the black feather from before. "Now, if you would be so kind as to hold that still while I—"

"Get away—you can't seal this!" He said, pleading. _He can have the artwork—he just can't seal it. He wouldn't listen to that, though._

"And why not? It's as easy as _this_!" He said, making a dive to get the relic from Satoshi. They both fell to the floor, the relic rolling across to the other side of the room.

_NO!_

They both raced to get the relic, shoving and tripping along the way. For Satoshi, protecting something from Dark had never been this important. He _had_ to get that relic. In the end, though, it was Dark who reached it by a hair, and snatched it up off the ground, leaving Satoshi on the floor, shaking in either fear or disappointment.

"Listen, Dark. I'll make you a deal. I don't care about the art, but I can't let you seal it! I'll hide it and pretend that you got away with it. No one will know!"

_What? What is he doing? Is there some sort of catch?_

'What are you doing Satoshi-sama—get that relic!' shouted Krad.

When Dark didn't answer, he added "If you want, you can keep it, so long as you promise not to seal it."

'He's desperate, Dark. Just forget the relic—obviously, it's important. He's willing to compromise—just do it and we can leave!' Said Daisuke.

"Sorry, but I can't do that. I won, so I'm taking the prize." Said Dark. He opened a hatch in the ceiling a flew out of the room.

"DARK!! DON'T SEAL IT—I'M BEGGING YOU!!" He screamed.

A few guards came bursting in through the now open door.

"Commander?! Did Dark get away?"

Satoshi didn't answer.

"Commander?"

"Yes, he got away." He said coldly. "Now get back to your post."

'No need to be so mean, Satoshi-sama. This was your fault after all. If you had just transformed, we could've—'

_I don't need your help Krad, I can do this on my own!_

"Yessir!" Said the guards, clearly scared of the sixteen year old. They went back outside through the main doors, avoiding going anywhere closer to Satoshi.

…………………….

_Aw, cheer up, Daisuke! We got the relic!_

'I can't believe you did that! I don't even know what to say to him tomorrow. What if that relic was really important? And you didn't have to tease him—like _you've_ never had a crush on someone!'

_It's different with Hiwatari. He _can't_ have a crush on someone._

They had stopped in a forest to seal the artwork really quick—the sooner the better, according to Dark. They were almost home, when suddenly Daisuke got an idea.

'Hey, Dark. What if the relic had something to do with Inochi-san? The timing matches up…' He said.

_Wait a minute… what if… no…_

'What is it, Dark?'

_I think you might be on to something… I can't think of any other reason why Hiwatari would have over-reacted like that… And we saw him with Shizuka earlier today… There's nothing special about this relic. Nothing astounding or worth mentioning, so it couldn't have to do with the artworks…. If Shizuka left out part of her story, then this may be the missing link. Change of plans, Daisuke. We're going to go pay Shizuka a visit._

'What? Now? It's so late.'

_Well, I have a feeling we won't be the only one's there… _He said,_ Krad can't be too happy about what happened either._

………………..

'I can't believe you just lost it like that. If you hadn't broken concentration, none of that would have happened.'

_You think I don't know that?_

'It's obvious this girl is becoming a distraction…'

_Just stop, Krad._

'If only you'd stop letting her interfere with your work. Since that doesn't seem to be happening, maybe I should confront her myself.'

…

'What do you think, Satoshi-sama?'

………………………..

"I wonder if Hikari-kun is done working at the museum yet…" thought Shizuka. She was having trouble sleeping, and decided to stay up to see if there was going to be anything on the news about whether or not Satoshi had captured Dark. It was amazing how quickly they had become friends, and under the weirdest circumstances. She had left Hokkaido after her parent's died, and from that day on, anytime Dark sealed an artwork, the burden would be placed on her alone, as the last heir. Her mother had always suffered them, so now it was her turn.

Aside from her parent's deaths, she had always wanted to move to a more city-like area, even if Azumano was more suburban. Azumano had a European feel to it, though, and it was something she never got to see in Hokkaido. Her time was growing shorter, and she wanted to live in a normal neighborhood and go to high school before her time was up. Her parent's had owned a garden and flower shop, and they always home-schooled her. Being around kids her age was completely new to her, and she had never really seen any point in making friends. That would only make it harder to accept that she couldn't follow the same paths they did, going on to college and getting married. That future didn't exist for her. That's why she was so reluctant to talk to Daisuke and his friends at school. She didn't want to form bonds that would only upset her in the end.

Then, when she met everyone at school, she decided to just go along with it. As it turned out, she ended up meeting two boys her age who shared her curse—not something she came looking for. And meeting Satoshi was probably the best thing that had ever happened to her, so she decided to try to have as much fun as she could at school before her time ran out. Even if being with him would make it harder to let go in the end.

……………………..

"Krad…! Stop!"

'Don't resist and it won't be as painful.'

"Ugh… don't come out…" Satoshi was leaning against a wall in his apartment, doubled over. Krad wanted to try and eliminate Satoshi's 'distractions'. He could feel wings start to sprout from his back.

'You're making this so difficult' Said Krad, annoyed.

"You'll…. You'll hurt her… ahh!" His glasses fell to the floor, as Krad gained control.

"I won't do anything to her," Said Krad. "Nothing I can do will make a difference."

…………………..

Shizuka dropped a glass she was carrying to the kitchen. _It's happening again…?_

She looked down and saw blood on her hands form the glass, and grasped the wall for support. She felt so dizzy, and the smell of blood was getting to her.

_I need to… open a window… _

She reached for the windowsill, but tripped on the glass and fell forward. The last think she saw before fainting was a winged figure flying outside the window, far away.

_Hikari-kun?_

.........

AU: So, I was finally able to get a little more personal information about Shizuka in, even though it was an awkward place to put it in. Krad will make a real appearance in the next chapter, too. I just realized that Wiz/With hasn't even been mentioned, so maybe he'll be in the next chapter… we'll see. _Please review_! Most people would not keep updating without X amount of reviews!

Ja, mata


	9. Human

I do not own DNAngel

Dark didn't even bother knocking on the door—there was a bloodstain on the window, and that was enough for him. He unlocked it and gasped at what he saw. Shizuka was lying on the floor bleeding, with broken glass around her.

'Dark, what happened to her? Was it Krad?'

_I don't know…_

He was about to move her to the couch, when Krad appeared in the doorway.

"Well, Dark Mousy. This is unexpected."

"What are you doing here, Krad?!"

"I'm here to talk to Inochi-san, the same as you." He said, moving forward. He pulled out a white feather and held it up in front of Dark. Dark moved out of the way just in time, and Krad's spell missed.

"Krad—are you crazy?! We need to get her off the floor—can't this wait just one minute?"

"I've waited a very long time to talk to you again, Dark. It isn't polite to keep an old friend waiting this long!" yelled Krad, firing a spell aimed at Shizuka. Dark quickly made a shield to block her, and stood in front of her in a defensive position.

'Krad! Stop!' Yelled Satoshi. He was trying desperately to fight his way out and gain control, but Krad had full power right now.

_Are you enjoying this, Satoshi-sama? Isn't it thrilling?_ He said sadistically.

'Are you crazy? Stop this right now!' He screamed. 'She hasn't done anything!'

"Dark! Do you know this girl's secrets? _All_ of them? Would you like me to tell you?" said Krad. Dark looked stunned. "What? Why would you tell me?" He asked, not believing anything Krad said.

"Because, it's very hard to keep a secret this big. So, do you want to know?"

'Krad! Stop right now! She doesn't want them to know! Leave it at that!' Pleaded Satoshi.

"No thanks. I think I can figure it out without your help" Said Dark, a little annoyed. "Why don't you just leave. Isn't your tamer already worn out from before?"

Krad shot another attack and hit Dark, sending him flying backwards. Then he aimed at Shizuka, moving forward.

'Don't do it, Krad!' Satoshi was trying as hard as he could to get out, but Krad was still stronger.

"Krad! Don't you see that if you kill her, the curse will never be broken?" Said Dark, as a last resort. He couldn't get up, and he couldn't use anymore magic. "I don't care about breaking the curse! I just want this… _this girl_ out of my way!" And with that, he shot a bolt of white magic at Shizuka, hitting her dead on. The blast threw her backward, and she landed a few feet away from Dark, hitting the wall hard. Krad felt Satoshi reach his breaking point, and reluctantly granted him power. Satoshi fell to his knees, and looked around. Dark transformed back into Daisuke, who got up slowly, gripping the wall for support.

"Inochi-san" gasped Satoshi, who ran over as fast as he could. Daisuke started towards them, but Satoshi stopped him. "Don't come any closer!" He snapped, picking Shizuka up. "Don't you see what's happening?! It's bad enough that I couldn't protect her from Krad, so just STOP!!" He yelled.

"H-hiwatari-kun…" He trailed off. He had no idea what Satoshi was talking about, but he sounded stressed.

'Daisuke. Let's go. We can watch from the window.' Said Dark. He didn't want to start an argument.

Satoshi laid Shizuka on the couch, and cleaned the cut on her hand with a dish towel he found on the counter. He didn't mean to snap at Daisuke, but he was so frustrated, he couldn't help it. He knew she probably wouldn't be awake, especially with all the magic Krad used, but he decided to try talking to her anyway.

"Inochi-san? Inochi-san, can you hear me?" He asked. He tied the towel around her hand to make sure it didn't start bleeding again, but didn't let go. "Inochi-san?"

…………..

_Dark? Why did Hiwatari-kun get so angry? Could it have something to do with what Krad said?_

'It has everything to do with what Krad said. I just wish they would tell us—it's really annoying not knowing!'

_But… why was Krad so mad at Inochi-san?_

Dark snickered. 'That's 'cause Hiwatari_ likes_ her. No one can get close to him, remember?'

_Poor Hiwatari-kun… he really can't be close with _anyone_…_

'It's a good thing you weren't born a Hikari, Daisuke. With your personality, everyone you meet would be killed.'

_It's not funny!_

…………………

"Hi…Hikari-kun…" Murmured Shizuka. She was starting to wake up, but felt an enormous pain in her side, where Krad had hit her. She wasn't totally unconscious during the battle—just unable to move or register who was talking and what they were saying. When Krad hit her, she hit her head on the wall, and that's what must have made her lose consciousness. She thought she heard Satoshi talking to her, but it was hard to remember. It hurt so much…

"Inochi-san? Inochi-san?! Are you awake?" He gasped. She was starting to stir in her sleep. The clock above the sink read 1:00am. Luckily, it was a weekend. He had covered her with blankets, and was sitting on the floor in front of the couch. As tired as he was, he wouldn't be able to fall asleep until he saw that she was alright. He moved some stray hairs out of her face, and gripped her hand. "Can you hear me?" He asked.

………………

Dark and Daisuke were still watching from the window. It had only been about fifteen minutes since they stepped outside, but it seemed much, much longer. They could hear a little bit, but since they were talking so low, it came out as murmurs. It looked like Shizuka was starting to wake up, so Dark was hoping they would talk about what happened, even though it seemed unlikely. Daisuke was drowsy, but Dark was forcing him to stay awake. Eventually, though, Dark took over again to keep Daisuke awake.

…………….

"nnnnn…"

"Inochi-san!" He whispered.

She opened her eyes and sat up, startled. "Hikari-kun? What—"

"Shh. You need to lie down." He said, pushing her down gently. "Do you remember anything? Krad and Dark came, and they fought for a while… Krad… he hit you with some magic…" He said slowly. "I'm so sorry, Inochi-san… I couldn't get control back… he hurt you, but I couldn't do anything… I'm sorry…"

"It's not your fault, Hikari-ku—"

"Stop saying that! It is! It's _all_ my fault! I wish you'd just blame me… I can't believe how weak I am!"

After this, Shizuka decided not to say anything. She sat up again, and leaned against the back of the couch, hugging her knees. The pain was starting to subside, but she wouldn't be able to stand up on her own. They sat in silence for a while. Satoshi was looking down, still gripping her hand, breathing heavily.

"Y'know… I don't think you're weak at all." She started. He looked up at her, a little surprised. "For you to be able to handle all of this… Protecting artwork at the museum, keeping up with school, dealing with Krad… It's really hard. I don't think just anyone would be up to that. Just because you can't do one thing doesn't mean you're weak—it just means you're human." She said.

Satoshi blinked. She was so sincere about what she just said, and it all made perfect sense. _She's… right. But how can she still be so… unfazed after that?_

'How sweet. Almost like an angel, wouldn't you agree?' Said Krad, still eager to taunt Satoshi as long as he was alive.

"You're really… something else." He stated. "Are you sure you're okay? You're not in a concussion or anything, right?" He joked. She giggled. "No, nothing like that…"

"You seem to know exactly what I need to hear, even when I should be the one comforting _you_." He said, light-heartedly. She blushed in response, then looked at the clock. "Oh, my god! It's already 1:30!"

"Relax, we don't have school tomorrow." He said, laughing at how fast she freaked out.

"It's so late… Why don't you stay here tonight? The couch pulls out into a bed, so…"

Satoshi thought about it for a moment. Then thought of Krad.

"I'm a little worried about what Krad might do, so I think I'll go home…"

"Okay, then. If you're sure…"

"C'mon, let me help you up." He said, snaking an arm around her waste and lifting her up. She was still in a lot of pain from the attack, so she couldn't move around too much. He tucked her into bed, and was about to turn to leave, when he suddenly remembered the date. "Inochi-san… Christmas is in a few days… I was wondering if you'd like to spend it with me…?" He asked shyly.

"Of course! I'd love to!" She replied quickly, blushing even more than before. Did he just ask her… on a _date_?

"Great… then I'll pick you up around seven?" He asked, not really sure what else to say.

"Uh-huh"

"I'll see you then…" He smiled. "Thank you…" And he walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

'There now, that wasn't so bad, was it? And you thought she wouldn't say 'yes'.' Said Krad.

_Shut up. This isn't about you._

'You were just in such a good mood… aren't you excited about your first date?'

………………

_Daisuke, let's get out of here before Hiwatari sees us._

'Right!'

"Hold it, Dark." Called Satoshi, who had just left the house. "I need to talk to Niwa-kun."

"Why, hello commander. Care to tell us what you two were talking about the entire time?"

"You shouldn't have been spying on us. Let me talk to Niwa-kun."

Dark smirked and transformed into a drowsy-eyed Daisuke.

"Ah—Hiwatari-kun!"

"Listen, I wanted to apologize. For yelling at you. It was my fault, I just got so frustrated. Don't take it personally."

"Oh, it's okay, Hiwatari-kun. But, are you okay? After the fight, you seemed…"

"I'm fine. I'll see you on Monday." He replied. He started walking, but then stopped and turned back to Daisuke. "Tell Dark I said 'thank you'. For protecting Inochi-san". He turned away and continued walking home.

'C'mon, Daisuke, let's go home.' Said Dark, not even commenting on Satoshi's apology.

_I feel so left out—does everyone know something that we don't?_

AU: Well, I stopped updating for a few days to see if anyone would review, and someone did. So to anyone reading this story, and not reviewing, thank her. Oh, In Japan, Christmas is a romantic holiday, like Valentine's day, so that's why Satoshi asks her as a date. New Year's is a big family holiday, though, so I'll see what I want to do with that.

Ja, ne! The more reviews, the more inspiration. So click the button


	10. Winter break is here!

I do not own DNAngel

"Alright class, now I know you're all excited about winter break, but you have midterms coming up, so let's review…" Said the teacher, trying to be enthusiastic. The whole class groaned. It was the day before winter recess, two whole weeks of no studying.

"Hey, Niwa-kun! I don't have after school activities today, so do you wanna walk home with me?" Asked Riku. Things had been pretty much normal at school. Satoshi and Shizuka came back, and were able to cover up their coinciding absences, and no one thought anything of it. Dark hadn't stolen much lately, so he hadn't had any more confrontations with Krad since then.

"Oh, sure…" he said. Satoshi and Shizuka began hanging out with Daisuke, Riku and Risa regularly, which was weird for Satoshi, who usually declined any invitations to sit with them at lunch. Shizuka was still quiet around her classmates, but Daisuke noticed she was more talkative with Satoshi than anyone else. Dark didn't say anything else about that night at Shizuka's house, and stopped trying to uncover anything else about the Inochi family. He just decided to let things unfold on their own.

……….At lunch………..

"So, Niwa-kun! Have you asked Riku to spend Christmas with you yet?" Asked the younger Harada, mischievously. She wanted to go with Dark, but she hadn't been able to ask him, since he hadn't stolen anything in a while. Instead, she would go with her friends to the festival in the park.

"Risa!" snapped Riku, blushing.

"O-oh, well… that is… if she wants to go with me…" Said Daisuke, panicking.

_Dark! What do I do???_

'I dunno. She's _your_ girlfriend, after all.' He snickered. Of course, he would _never_ help Daisuke in a situation like this!

"I'll go with you, Niwa-kun…" She said sheepishly.

"Yes!" Exclaimed Risa.

"Stop it! You're so annoying, Risa. I swear…"

While the three of them were arguing, Satoshi and Shizuka tried to sneak away from the table without Risa noticing. It was only a matter of seconds before…

"Ah! Hiwatari-kun! I think_ you_ should go with Shizuka-chan!" Said Risa loudly, so the whole class could hear. Both of them immediately started blushing, and Shizuka spoke up first.

"Well… I don't …I mean…" She stuttered.

_What am I supposed to say?_ Thought Satoshi. _If I tell them I already asked her, the entire class will know… _

RING

"Oh, that's the bell! We'd better get to class!" Said Daisuke, saving them. They walked out of the cafeteria, and Risa spotted a friend, so she left them behind.

"Wow—sorry guys! Risa's such a pain!" Said Riku. "She just wants more gossip to spread."

"Oh, it was nothing…"

After school, Shizuka went to Riku's house to help her pick out something to wear for the Christmas festival in the park, so Satoshi ended up walking home with Daisuke.

"Hey, Daisuke. What are you going to do with Harada-san on Christmas? Where are you going?" Asked Satoshi. He had no idea where to take Shizuka yet, so he figured he'd ask Daisuke for advice.

"Oh, I guess we'll go to the festival in the park…"

"hmm…"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well… I asked Inochi-san if she wanted to spend Christmas with me. But I don't really know where to take her." He said quickly.

"Oh my god! You did? That's great Hiwatari-kun!" Gasped Daisuke cheerfully. "I'm so happy for you two! Why didn't you say so before?"

"We didn't want to broadcast it to the whole school…"

"Right, that makes sense. What with your fan girls and all…" Said Daisuke, thinking about the army of girls in their school (and others!) that sent Satoshi daily love letters and followed him to class. "How do you ignore them?" He asked curiously.

"It's nothing." He said nonchalantly. Then he smirked. "How do you deal with Dark when you're on a date with Harada-san?"

"W-well, I just kind of try to ignore him."

'What? You're constantly paranoid about transforming! Liar!'

"Anyway, I'd rather not take Shizuka to the festival. I don't know how well that would go..."

"With the fan girls?"

"With being around that many people. Her body's a lot weaker than normal." _And the fan girls._

'pfft—excuses! He's not that healthy _himself_, anyway. He's just afraid of his fans.'

"Oh, really?" He said, concerned. There was a long pause.

"Well, anyway, thanks. I'm going to head home now" Said Satoshi, turning down a different road than Daisuke.

"Oh, okay. See you…" _That was weird. But I can't believe he asked her! That's great! Hiwatari-kun needs to cheer up once in a while._

'Krad might not think the same.' Dark reminded.

…………..

"What do you think? The black one, or the red one? I'm not really good at this kind of thing… that's what Risa's for, I guess." Said Riku. Shizuka had come over to her house today to help her decide what to wear to the festival. Every year, the park decorated the trees with lights and hired a DJ to play music. This was the first year she was going with a date.

"You should wear the red one—it'll be more festive." Replied Shizuka. She decided that, since Risa was at a friend's house, she could tell Riku that she was going to be with Satoshi this Christmas. It was amazing how close she had gotten with Riku and Daisuke in a matter of a couple of weeks. "Yeah, that's what I thought too!" Said Riku.

"Hey, Riku-san? About what Harada-san said earlier…"

"Oh, don't worry about it. She does that to everyone."

"Well, actually, Hika—" She caught herself. "_Hiwatari_-kun already asked me…"

"WHAT?! This is the first I've heard of it? How did it happen? When? What did you say?" Exclaimed Riku, shooting out questions.

"uh, he just asked if a wanted to spend Christmas with him, a couple weeks ago, and I said 'yes'…"

"That's great! I approve!" She said, taking the motherly role. "But if he does anything _improper_…"

"Oh, don't worry, Riku-san—He's not like that at all!" she said. It was true—Satoshi was a perfect gentleman, and it was easy to forget he was only sixteen.

"Are you going to the park, too? We could double-date!"

"Actually, no, we're not. He didn't say where we're going yet."

"Then how am I supposed to keep an eye on you?" She asked, winking. They laughed.

"Don't worry, Riku-san—nothing's happening!"

"Still, we_ need_ to double date, even if it's not for Christmas!"

………….

"Tadaima!" shouted Daisuke, walking into his home. He had just barely made it through the hallway—his mom sure hasn't been going easy on him!

"O-keari! So, have you asked Riku-chan to the dance yet?" Asked his mom.

"Oh, y-yeah…" _Harada-san asked _for_ me…better not tell her that…_

"Good! Of course, that means you'll have to steal this new artwork the day _after_ Christmas…"

"You would make me steal on Christmas?! Mom!" he whined. When would he get a break?

"Relax—I just said you didn't have to. Now, it's called 'Snowy Crystal'. It was just added to a museum one the other side of town."

"Yeah, yeah. Got it." Yawned Daisuke, on his way up the stairs. "Oh, Dark said you should know that Hiwatari-kun and Inochi-san are spending Christmas together, too. They're not going to the park, though…"

"What?! _NO!_ Not with that… that _Hikari_! I won't allow it! Call her over here _right now_!"

"You can't just decide for her—she's not your daughter, Emiko." Said Daiki, coming out of the kitchen. "B-but…"

……………..

"Okay, so this dress, those shoes… that's it, then! Thnaks for helping!" Said Riku. It was getting late, but they finally finished decided on the perfect outfit.

"Oh, it's no problem. You have to take a picture with Niwa-kun!"

"We will! By the way, what about _you_?" She asked. "You really have no idea where you're going yet? What are _you_ gonna wear?"

"No, he said it was a surprise." She replied smiling. "He said it was outdoors, and that's all he would tell me."

"Well, be careful! You never know—"

"Riku! Shizuka-chan! Were you two here this whole time?" Asked Risa, barging in the room.

"Jeez, you _could_ knock."

"So what were you talking about?"

"Nothing! Go and call Ritsuko-san or something! We're busy!" Shouted Riku, pushing her out the door.

"Actually, Riku-san, I should get going." Said Shizuka. "I need to go to work soon."

"Oh, okay. Well, in that case, call me as soon as you get home after the date! I want to know everything!"

………………..

_Dark?_

'I know what you're going to ask. You want to know why everyone is opposed to Hiwatari dating Shizuka. I thought that'd be obvious by now—Krad doesn't like her.'

_It doesn't seem fair—Hiwatari-kun and Inochi-san have it much harder than I do…_

'Are you saying you want a _worse_ curse?'

_No, but how come Riku-san and I aren't suffering as much as them? _

'Daisuke, they can deal with it. You worry too much about others.'

……………………

Ring. Ring. Ri--

"Hello?" Answered Satoshi. His father called him every week to check on how things were going with capturing Dark.

"Satoshi! It's been so long since I've last talked to you? How is school?"

Satoshi shuddered. _He sounds just like Krad_. "Everything's fine."

"Everything's always 'fine', Satoshi. Why don't you go into more detail? Have you made any new friends lately?"

_What?_ "No, why?"

"I'm just curious—you never seem to talk to anyone… you should try talking to your classmates. I hear there's a new student in your class. Why don't you try being friends with _her_?"

_Not good_. "I busy right now—didn't you want to ask about work?"

"Oh, well, yes. I_ was _going to bring that up…" After that, they had the same conversation they always did. How Satoshi hadn't captured Dark yet, and how Kei still believed he could do it someday, and to keep trying and keep him updated.

_How did he find out about Inochi-san? Krad! Did you—_

'I would never betray you, Satoshi-sama. Surely your father has _other_ sources he could have gotten this information from.'

Satoshi placed the phone back on the receiver, and looked out the window.

_What if he tries to confront her?_

He picked the phone back up and dialed a number.

'Who are you calling, Satoshi-sama?'

_Inochi-san._

AU: Well, I decided that the date will be in the NEXT chapter (sorry!).

Tadaima: I'm back! (said when coming home)

O-Kaeri (nasai): Welcome back (Said to person who came back.)

Here are two more…

Itte Kimasu: I'm leaving

Itte Rasshai: (Said to person leaving)


	11. Christmas Complications

I do not own DNAngel.

The phone seemed to ring forever, until finally the standard answering machine came on.

_She's not home? It's so late—what if he sent some of his men to her house? What if they kidnapped her? _He thought. He hung up the phone and ran outside, putting on his jacket on the way out. He would have to walk to her house—it was too late, and would be too suspicious, if he called for a car.

'Satoshi-sama, I'm sure she's fine. Dark isn't stealing tonight, so you have nothing to worry about. It's rather annoying to keep having to go over there.'

_No one asked you, Krad! _

Shizuka lived on the other side of town, but using back roads could get you there in half the time. There were a lot of weirdos on the streets at this hour, so the backroads wouldn't be such a good idea if it were anyone else other than Satoshi. He reached her neighborhood in record time, cutting through backyards and hopping fences. He slowed down a little bit and looked around. This part of town had the worst crowd on its streets by far. Along the way, he heard some one talking in an alley, and decided to check it out fast. When he turned the corner, he saw a middle aged man wearing an old, grey sweat suit, and Shizuka back up against the wall a few feet away from him. The man had a pocket knife pointed at her threateningly. Satoshi did the first thing that came to mind.

"Shizuka-chan! I've been looking everywhere for you!" He said, walking over to her swiftly, glaring at the man on his way. He pulled her away from the wall, and lead her back across the alley, keeping himself between her and the man. Then, he noticed a drop of blood on the guy's knife, and looked to Shizuka. Sure enough, her arm had a minor cut, a few inches long. Satoshi walked her to the other side of the alley, then turned around to face the attacker. The man backed up a little bit—when Satoshi wanted to be intimidating, he pulled it off perfectly. "Hey! What did you do to her?! For your sake, I hope you didn't use that knife." He said, walking towards him. The man backed up to the wall, and Satoshi brought a hand to his collar, threateningly. "Well? What did you want with her?"

When the man realized that he was just dealing with a high school student, he pushed Satoshi off him and held his knife up. "You stupid kid—why should I have to answer to you?" He slashed his knife at Satoshi a few times, missing completely. Satoshi punched him square in the face in defense, causing his nose to bleed. He backed away, but Satoshi kept walking closer. "Want me to turn you into the police? I'm sure they'll go much easier on you." He stated. As if on cue, police sirens could be heard in the background. They drove up to the alley, hearing the commotion, and recognized the man who attacked Shizuka immediately—it turns out they had been looking for him for a few weeks now.

After the police left with him and everything calmed down, Satoshi walked over to Shizuka, who was still shaken up by the whole experience, and helped her up off the ground. "What were you thinking—it's way too late to be walking around town." He said.

"I have work, and my shift ends late." She said, worn out.

"You should have screamed—if I hadn't been walking by here, he could have hurt you much worse." He said, worried. He took out a handkerchief and tied it around her arm to stop the bleeding.

"It happened so fast—I didn't have time to react…" They had started walking towards Shizuka's house, and it had just started snowing again. "But what were _you _doing around here so late?"

"I… I needed to talk to you. I called you house but you weren't home, and I thought…"

Suddenly, Satoshi's cell phone started vibrating. It was his father.

He sighed, defeated. "Give me a minute"

….

"Hello?"

"Satoshi—I forgot to tell you before. Come to my office tomorrow morning. There's something I want to talk to you about."

"Alright."

"You're not home? I tried the house phone."

"I stepped out for a bit. If that's all, then I need to go."

"Right, well. I'll see you tomorrow morning, then."

….

Satoshi hung up his phone in disgust. "Inochi-san, that was my father. What I wanted to talk to you about… he wants to capture Dark on his own, and he's always interfering… He mentioned you last time we talked—I don't know how he even found out, but he did, and I wanted to warn you. It's not out of character for him to start confronting people—he might even go as far as kidnapping… when you didn't answer the phone, I thought he might have already gotten to you. Just… be aware. I don't know what he would use you for, but if he contacts you, tell me immediately." He said, sounding worried.

"Hikari-kun, you don't need to worry…" She said blushing.

"Apparently, I do" He joked, referring to the cut on her arm. "I'm sorry if I scared you before."

"You didn't—I'm surprised a grown man would be that scared of a sixteen year old!"

"You'd be surprised" He said, thinking of the police force he commanded.

'That was quite a show, Satoshi-sama.'

They reached her house, and Satoshi walked her up to the front porch. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then?" He said, hopefully. It was Christmas Eve, after all. "Yeah, I can't wait…" She said sheepishly. After saying goodbye, Satoshi began walking home.

'Are you excited about tomorrow?'

…

'I know _I_ am' He snickered. 'It's not every day we get to go on a date.'

_What do you mean 'we'? Don't even think about taking over tomorrow—There's no way I'll let you hurt her._

'You're no fun—I never get to come out. Not even on Christmas.'

……………Christmas Morning…………….

"You wanted to see me?"

"Ah yes! Merry Christmas, Satoshi." Greeted his father, happily. He really tried to get into the holiday spirit this year—He even hung a reef in his office. "Do you have any plans today?"

"What did you want to talk about?" Said Satoshi, dully. He just wanted to get this over with. His father was bound to keep stalling if he didn't bring up business.

"Right. Well, Follow me." He said, leading him down a hallway. They walked into a room with a large glass table in the middle. When they got a closer look, however, Satoshi saw that it was actually a showcase, with a tall golden staff inside. The staff had a dark purple stone in it that gave off a black glow.

"What is this?" Asked Satoshi, a little worried at what was coming next.

"_This _is an old, forgotten staff with incredible powers." He started. "It was kept secret from the public, but you should know all about that."

Satoshi's eyes widened. _This is black magic!_

"What do you want with it—It should be locked up!"

"I want you to use it to capture Dark." He said bluntly. "You seem to have made no progress lately, and now it's time to step it up and use something a little stronger."

"No way." He replied. Black magic was very powerful—not even Krad had used that kind of magic. It was very straining, and required the user's own blood to work. If you used too much of it, you could end up dead yourself.

"You will use it, Satoshi. I'm counting on you."

…………..

Shizuka sat at the desk in her room. It was almost time for Satoshi to pick her up. While waiting, she had decided to play with some of the tunes she had written a while ago. Eventually, she got bored and just doodled on the side of the paper until the door bell rang. She hurried to answer it, tripping over a loose floor board on the way.

"C-coming!" She said, turning out the light in her room.

She opened the door to see Satoshi standing with his hands in his pockets. "Hey." He said, at a loss for words. "Hi" She responded. Satoshi was blushing, kind of unsure what do to next, as if there was a code of dating rules that he didn't know about. "So, wanna get going?" He asked. It was so much easier for them to talk in school.

"Yeah… where are we going?"

He smiled. "You'll see" he said, pulling out a blindfold. "Put this on."

"What?" She asked, laughing. "You can't be serious—how will I see?"

"I'll guide you" He said, tying the blindfold over her eyes gently, sweeping her hair back. "Don't you trust me?" He said jokingly.

"Of course."

"Then let's go." He said, taking her hand. They walked for a good half hour, talking the whole way. Occasionally, Satoshi had to pull her closer to steer her away from a tree. By the time they reached their destination, it was almost nightfall. There was fresh snow on the ground from yesterday, so overall the scenery was very pretty. "Okay, we're here." He said, untying the blindfold. When she opened her eyes, she saw a clearing with a frozen lake and a small bridge going across. There were so many trees all covered in white snow, and a frozen waterfall a little ways down.

"Hikari-kun… where are we?" She asked, amazed.

"It's an old clearing that's been untouched by contractors—no one knows about it. I found it a few years ago, but I've never shown it to anyone. You should see it in the spring when the water fall is flowing" He said, blushing.

"It's so… beautiful here."

"Yeah…"

They spent a while walking around the clearing—it was small, but there was a lot to see. The bridge was frozen over, but you could still walk on it. The ice was thick enough to walk on, too. They spent a while trying to get across without slipping, but eventually gave up.

"Hikari-kun—have you ever made a snowman before?" She asked, suddenly.

Satoshi thought for a minute, and said in disbelief, "No, actually. I guess I haven't." It was another one of those things that were so unimportant and foreign to him that he never even realized he had never made one before.

"Perfect!" She exclaimed. "Finally, something_ I_ can show _you _how to do!" She said, thinking of all the times that Satoshi was the only one who knew what was going on in class.

They started making a big pile of snow and shaping it into a ball. Satoshi was embarrassed at how bad he was at this sort of thing—making the head wasn't easy. It fell apart a few times, but they finally got a decent looking head and body, though it was a little lop-sided. They split up to look for arms and a face, and came up with sticks for arms, acorns for eyes, and a pine cone for a nose. They had to draw the mouth in with a stick. It was a sloppy looking snowman, and Satoshi laughed to himself that, if his ancestors were to see this piece of crap, they would disown him for not being able to make it an ice sculpture.

"Well, if we were to enter it in a contest," Said Shizuka, "We would at least get an 'A' for effort." Satoshi laughed. "It's too bad we can't take him home. I'm sure Niwa-kun and Harada-san would love to see this."

They spent the rest of the time following a raccoon around the lake, and making weird, deformed sculptures out of the snow. Pretty soon, though, they were getting cold and decided to wrap it up for today. Before they left, though, they went to the bridge one last time.

"Ah, before I forget, this is for you…" She said, shyly. She handed him a small box, in which lied a beautiful antique snow globe, with a little village inside. Looking closely, you could see really small details, people, signs, buildings, animals, and even footprints.

"This is… amazing…" He said, shocked. Most people probably wouldn't even think about something like this being a present. "Thank you…" He said. "How did you come across something like this?"

"My family liked to make this kind of stuff—it's no big deal…" She replied. They were quiet for a while.

"Hey, Inochi-san… I kind of… made you something, too…" Said Satoshi, turning away to hide his embarrassment.

"W-what? You did?" She asked, surprised.

"Yeah…" He said, pulling out a small box and handing it to her. She took it and opened it slowly, revealing a silver pendant of a heart with angel wings. The heart had incredible detail on the inside—impossible for anyone but a Hikari to create. Shizuka gasped in surprise.

"H-hikari-kun… It's so beautiful…" she said, at a loss for words.

"Will you wear it?" He asked, hopefully, his voice quieter.

"Of course…" She said looking at him. He took the box from her and took out the necklace. He pushed her hair back and put the necklace around her neck, but kept his arms around her.

"Inochi-san… the reason that Krad was after you… the other day…" He stopped. This could really put a damper on the whole conversation. "Well, he tries to get rid of people I'm close with… and…" _breathe. _"I guess this is kind of a weird way to put it, but… I really like you, Inochi-san." _Almost…_ "W-what I mean is… I love you…" He said, looking at her.

………………..

Shizuka stopped breathing. _Did he really just say what I thought he said, or am I just dreaming? _She blinked, then realized that he was absolutely serious. She blushed, and replied. "I-I love you too, Hikari-kun." She was telling the truth, but couldn't help but feel just a little guilty about what she was planning on telling him next…

Satoshi signed in relief. "I was so sure that… never mind."

"Hikari-kun… I should have told you sooner, and I'm sorry if it seems like I was leading you on… I'm so sorry…"

"What is it?" He asked, concerned.

She took a deep breath. "I don't really have that much time left… here."

Satoshi's expression changed completely as soon as he realized what she was talking about.

"What? I don't understand…"

"My time is almost up, Hikari-kun. Everyday, I feel a little bit weaker, and now… I don't know what to do…"

Satoshi turned away. "How much time?"

She stepped towards him. "A couple of months, at most" She said, quietly.

To her surprise, Satoshi turned around and pulled her toward him.

"Then I guess… I'll just have to work even faster." He said, leaning in closer.

"Y-you really don't mind? It's not uncomfortable?" She asked. In reply, he leaned in and kissed her sweetly, holding her tighter. When he pulled back after a few seconds, Shizuka was blushing deep red, and couldn't find anything to say.

"Wanna go home?" He asked, smiling.

"Y-yeah…"

AU: Sorry! My computer has a virus! I'm on my parent's computer now—this was supposed to go up yesterday. I'll try and have the next chapter up by Friday, but I can't make any promises, seeing as how my computer is sick 

Review, please!!!! It'll make my computer get better faster!!!!


	12. Another class play!

I do not own DNAngel or Beauty and the Beast

"So how was the festival? I heard that Saehara-kun broke one of the DJ's speakers and ran away before they could get his name." Said Satoshi, on the way to the classroom.

"Oh, yeah. The whole class was mad at him" Said Daisuke. "Other than that, though, it was fun! How about you and Inochi-san? Where'd you end up going?"

"We just stayed local." Replied Satoshi. Telling anyone, even Daisuke, what happened would be embarrassing.

"Ah, Good morning Riku-san!" Called Daisuke. Riku, Shizuka, and Risa were already in the classroom. Today was the start of a new school semester, which meant the cultural festival was just around the corner. Today, the class would decide on an activity for the festival. Last year's play… didn't go so well.

"Good morning, Hikari-kun!" said Shizuka. She was just talking to Riku about Christmas, but decided not to give all the details. Or _had_ decided until Risa asked. She wanted to know exactly where everyone had gone, what everyone had done, and if anyone kissed! Luckily, Risa was easily distracted. Eventually, though, she had to tell Riku, who was completely shocked that Satoshi would even think about stuff like that. While they were talking, though, Risa overheard, and would have started spreading the word of the 'new cute couple' if Riku didn't have some blackmail to back them up.

"Hey." He said simply, smiling. Before he could say anything else, Takeshi was standing on a desk yelling into a megaphone.

"Okay, everyone! It's time to start planning for the cultural festival! It's been decided that our class will put on a play, so let's do our best not to mess it up like last year!"

"Yeah!" said the class in unison.

"Now, according to the votes we took last month, we will write the cast on the blackboard!"

"Votes?" asked Satoshi to Daisuke. He didn't remember voting on anything. Normally he wouldn't care, but…

"Oh, you and Inochi-san were absent that day. Don't worry—it's going to be a co-ed cast this time!"

"good…" He said in relief.

Everyone turned to the blackboard, where Takeshi had just finished writing the results.

Play: Beauty and the Beast

Beast/Prince: Hiwatari Satoshi

Belle: Harada Risa

Gaston: Saehara Takeshi

Lumiere: Nishimura Yuuji

Clogsworth: Niwa Daisuke

Mrs. Potts: Suwamura Miyuki

Set/Costume Design: Harada Riku & Ritsuko

Music: Miyamoto & Inochi Shizuka

Satoshi stared at the board in blank horror. This could NOT be happening. Not again. Not the lead role. What got to him more, however, was the fact that Shizuka would be working with another guy in the class. He couldn't even stand the thought of it.

'What's wrong, Satoshi-sama? Are you jealous?'

…

'I've never felt something like this from you before.'

_Shut up._

'I left you alone on your date, didn't I? Why so quiet all the time?'

"Hiwatari-kun?" Asked Daisuke. He knew Satoshi didn't want any role in the play, let along the lead.

"It's fine. I don't really care" He said, not even looking away from the board.

As if right on cue, the squeals started.

"Oh my god—Hiwatari-kun as the beast! And the prince?! This'll be great!!!!!!"

"Risa-chan—you are soooo lucky!!!!!!!"

"I wanna be Belle!!!!"

"Quiet!!!! Now, we'll start rehearsals tomorrow! Everyone better try their best!" Came Takeshi on the megaphone. Satoshi glanced over at Miyamoto._ Lucky jerk._

………

'Hey, Daisuke, check it out.' Said Dark in Daisuke's head.

_What is it?_

'Look at Hiwatari. It looks like he's a little jealous of that kid over there.'

_Miyamoto-kun? Why?_

Dark snickered. 'This play'll be fun. I can't wait to see it!'

……….  
"Hey Inochi-san! I'm Miyamoto" He said, introducing himself. "I guess we'll be writing music together, huh?"

"Oh, y-yeah…"

"I can't wait to start working with you."

"M-me too…" She said, forcing a smile.

With that, he walked off. Shizuka was a little nervous about her job—she had never shown anyone anything she had written before. Plus, she hadn't really talked to any of her classmates yet, other than her friends. At least Miyamoto-kun seemed nice…

…………

After finishing her shift at work, Shizuka packed up and was about to head out the back door, when she heard her boss calling her.

"Shizuka-chan! There's someone here to see you!" She said, mischievously. "Such a handsome young man—your boyfriend?" She said, leaving the room. Shizuka turned the corner, she saw Satoshi!

"I-inochi-san, ummm, I was worried about you walking home by yourself again, so I thought I could walk you home, if you don't mind." He said, blushing. "I was waiting outside, and your boss said you were going out the back, so she let me in…"

"You came all the way here?" She asked, in disbelief.

"Yeah…"

"T-thank you!" She said, happily.

The two of them began walking to her house, talking about the play and the casting. As she thought, Satoshi didn't really want to be playing the lead role.

"I wish they would stop picking me—there are plenty of other boys in our class much more willing than I am."

"Not as handsome…"

"What?"

"N-nothing. What happened at the play last year—everyone keeps talking about it." She asked, changing the subject.

"Last year we put on Ice and Snow. I played Elliot, and Freedert was played by Niwa-kun. It was an all-male cast."

Shizuka had to cough to hold back laughter—that was so cruel, but still kind of funny to think about.

"What's more—they changed the character of Elliot to Phantom Dark."

"What? Are you kidding? What are the odds?"

"Not as slim as I wanted them to be—it'll probably happen again this year."

"But acting should be fun, at least. I was never much of an actress, though, so I'm glad I'm just backstage." She said, laughing.

"Yeah…" _Stupid Miyamoto._

The conversation went like that for a while, and eventually they reached Shizuka's house.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow…"

"Yeah" He said, kissing her forehead. "Good night." He whispered. Before she could answer, he was already off.

……….

'Hey Daisuke, I sent out a warning notice. Tomorrow night we're going to steal the 'Snowy Crystal'.'

………..

'Satoshi-sama, don't forget what your father talked to you about.' Said Krad.  
Satoshi remembered very clearly—the black magic.

'Dark has sent out a warning notice. You have work tomorrow.'

_I know._

AU: So next chapter will get _intense_. I've actually planned out the story up to chapter 23, and I'm not done yet, so you can expect this to be around 30 chapters. _Much_ longer than I originally intended! Also, You might want to review the whole black magic thin before you read the next chapter, since I had forgotten myself. Thanks for being patient! Mata~


	13. It broke?

I do not own DNAngel

_Ready, Daisuke?_ Asked Dark. It was time to steal the 'Snowy Crystal', a carved, clear stone on a gold chain that, when you held it up to the light, looked like it was snowing inside! There were a lot of police on the scene tonight—this was the museums most famous artworks.

'Yeah…' Sighed Daisuke. He had just come off a short break from stealing, but now he had to get back to business. Dark swooped in on Wiz's wings, and entered through a door on the roof that wasn't being guarded. The whole building was bound to be infested with police officers, so he silently knocked out a guard just around the corner and took his uniform. He wandered the halls until he found the room he was looking for. He opened the door and entered cautiously. At the end of the room stood Satoshi in front of a podium where the crystal was being kept.

"So, commander," started Dark. "How did your date go?"

Satoshi stepped forward, and was carrying a staff of some kind.

'Dark? What's he carrying?'

_I dunno… _Said dark, wearily.

"Stop stalling—you came for this, didn't you?" He asked, referring to the crystal.

"You don't waste any time, do you. Alright, then." Dark sprang forward, landing behind Satoshi, but before he could grab the crystal, Satoshi kicked over the podium, and the crystal landed a few feet away on the floor.

In one quick movement, Satoshi raised the staff and formed a cage around Dark. The bars weren't solid, though, but liquid. Dark looked up and saw Satoshi grasping his arm in pain, liquid dripping off his fingers. The bars were made out of blood!

"What are you doing—Are you crazy!? That's black magic!" Exclaimed Dark.

"Yes, I _know_ what it is." He said coldly.

Dark tried to break through the cage, but it was held being held together too strong.

'Dark, what are we going to do?' Asked Daisuke. Dark didn't answer.

"You know, using _that_ will only make _him_ stronger. Whatever weakens you will benefit _him_. Why are you going this far?" Said Dark. He had to break his concentration, and fast. The police were probably on their way.

Satoshi didn't answer.

"What will Shizuka say when she sees that?" He asked, looking at the scar. "What will she think when she finds out what type of magic you've been using to catch me?"

Satoshi just looked away. He had thought of that before. He wasn't sure he_ could _tell her.

Suddenly, Satoshi doubled over and clenched his fists. Krad was trying to come out.

………….

'Satoshi-sama, you're taking much too long to get rid of him—let me do it!'

"Not yet…" He said out loud. "You'll ruin it…"

Satoshi screamed, and wings began sprouting from his back. Dark took this chance and broke through the cage, picking up the crystal. When the transformation was complete, Krad stood up and held a white feather.

"Now, Dark Mousy, hand over that crystal." He said threateningly.

"Not a chance!" Said Dark, smirking.

Krad lunged at Dark, who dropped the crystal. Both of them missed catching it, and it fell to the floor, smashing into pieces.

"Now look what you've done!" Blamed Krad.

"Me?! You made me drop it!"

'Dark, let's go.' Said Daisuke. 'There's nothing we can do about it now.'

"fine…" muttered Dark, annoyed. He took off, leaving Krad behind with the broken artwork.

Krad transformed back into Satoshi, who fell to his knees, staring at the broken crystal. "it… it broke." He said out loud, in disbelief. This had never happened before. _Now what? Krad, if you hadn't interfered, this wouldn't have happened!_

'I was just trying to finish what you didn't want to.'

_What about Inochi-san? Will this have affected her?_

'Not_ her_ again. I honestly have no idea.'

Satoshi left through the back door, taking the broken pieces with him. He didn't want to face his father or any of the officers. He left the staff in the room, though. As soon as he was away from the crowd at the museum, he ran all the way to Shizuka's house. When he got there, the lights were still on. He knocked on the door, and stepped back, leaning on the railing to catch his breath.

……………

Shizuka was trying to come up with something for the play. Tomorrow was the first rehearsal, so she and Miyamoto decided to meet afterwards to collaborate. They wouldn't be needing music for a while, so they had a lot of time. She lost track of time, eventually, and was about to get ready to go to bed, when she heard a knock on the door. When she went to answer it, she was surprised to see Satoshi standing on her doorstep, out of breath.

"Hikari-kun? What happened?"

"Are… you… okay?" He asked, in between breaths.

"Yeah, but what about you?" She asked, concerned.

He stood up straighter. "I'm fine…" he said relieved. _I guess if it breaks, it doesn't count._

She spotted the cut on his arm, and pulled him inside. "How did you get that?!"

_Oh…I forgot about that…_

"I scraped my arm on some broken metal… on a handrail." He lied.

She pulled out a cloth and some alcohol, and motioned for him to sit on the sofa. He just did what he was told—no use complaining now. Alcohol hurt. Shizuka reached for his arm and touched the wet cloth lightly to the cut. Satoshi cringed, and bit his tongue. When she was finished, she wrapped his arm in a clean cloth, and tied it. "There—all done."

"Thank you…" He said, hugging her tightly. He started playing with her hair, and they stayed like that for a while, until Satoshi caught sight of the clock, which read midnight.

"I'd better go…" He said. She nodded, and walked to the door with him.

"Hikari-kun… are you sure everything's alright?" She asked one more time. Satoshi was always so careful—how could he have cut himself on a handrail?

"Yeah… I'll see you tomorrow…" Satoshi leaned in, and kissed her deeply, holding her. He broke away after a few seconds.

"Okay." She said, blushing.

………….

_Dark, why aren't you answering me? Are you still mad about the crystal?_

'Shut up! Of course not!'

_It's no big deal—kaa-san wasn't mad or anything._

'That's never happened before! Not once!'

_Dark! It was no one's fault! Shouldn't you be more concerned about the black magic?_

'I am! But I want to get back at Krad…'

Daisuke just sighed. He was glad that the artwork broke—Dark needed to be knocked down a few pegs. He was concerned about Satoshi, though. Why would he go to such lengths to capture Dark—he never had before. And when he told Kosuke what happened, he looked really serious.

………….

In his office, Kei was not pleased. _Krad… what was he thinking? He's just becoming a nuisance as well…_

……..

AU: Sorry for the wait! Is Dark's ego a little over exaggerated? Review, please. Doesn't anyone want to comment on the casting, at least!? Updating speed will depend on whether or not I get reviews. They make me update a LOT faster!!!


	14. Jealousy

I do not own DNAngel or Beauty and the Beast

"Okay, everyone! Let's start at the dance scene! Make sure to give it your all!"

Today was the first rehearsal for the class production, Beauty and the Beast. Everyone was excited about the play. That is, everyone working _backstage_. Satoshi couldn't be more miserable in his role, not even trying to get into character, and Risa was being just as stubborn, even though she was getting all the attention. The whole class seemed to think that Satoshi and Risa should be a real couple, and this annoyed Satoshi beyond words. He was constantly looking over to the piano where Shizuka and Miyamoto were coming up with music for the play. Even Daisuke was a little displeased at his role—but at least he wasn't the _heroine_.

"Now, Hiwatari-kun, do you know how to dance?" Asked Takeshi.

"No." He lied. He knew how to dance. Ballroom dancing, that is. But he figured saying 'no' would buy him some time.

"Fine…" He said, sighing. "Then what about Harada-san? Can you dance?"

"Well, I've never tried before, but…"

The rehearsal went like this for a while. Takeshi tried to get them to dance, and Satoshi was being as stubborn as ever, not leading, and not even looking at her. Instead, he was looking over at Miyamoto and Shizuka by the piano.

_Look at him… he's way to close to her—they could be sitting farther apart. _

Krad just snickered.

_Why does he have to reach over her to get the high notes? Can't he just play them on a lower octave?_

'Why are you so jealous? You're just making things look worse than they are. Look—he's leaving.'

Someone on the other side of the room called Miyamoto over, so that left Shizuka by herself. Satoshi thought of slipping away to go talk to her, but he and Risa had Takeshi's full attention right now. He tried one more time to get them to dance, but Satoshi didn't even want to hold her, so it came out disastrous. _Again._

……………………

'He looks so disappointed that he has to dance with Risa.' Said Dark, laughing. He loved making fun of 'the commander' whenever possible—especially under these circumstances. 'He keeps looking over at them. If he keeps this up, this play'll get nowhere.'

…………………..

"Okay—that's enough for today!" Said Takeshi. Working with people who really didn't want to be there all day had made him much less over-bearing. "You can all go home." He said, defeated. Satoshi looked over at Shizuka and Miyamoto. They were exchanging sheets of music, and Miyamoto patted her shoulder before walking off. Satoshi felt his blood boil in disgust, and had to fight the urge to punch him right then and there. Instead, he waited until everyone else left, and went up to Shizuka, who was still packing up.

"Hey, are you okay?" He asked suddenly. He hadn't noticed it before, but she looked paler than before. _Maybe it's my imagination…?_

"Hi, Hikari-kun! Why do you ask?"

"No reason", he said, brushing it off. "So, Niwa-kun wants to know if we can go to his house for New Year's Eve." He said. Daisuke had mentioned it before class started, saying that the Harada sisters and Takeshi were coming too.

"Oh, okay!" She said, unplugging the electric piano.

"Listen, are you _sure_ you're okay?" He asked one more time. He was sure he wasn't seeing things—she really did look paler today, didn't she? "You look a little…"

"Why wouldn't I be…?" She started.

_Why _wouldn't_ she be? Isn't she the least bit concerned about what's happening to her?_

'If she's been expecting it her whole life, probably not.'

"Forget it." He said, giving up.

Suddenly, Miyamoto appeared in the doorway, holding some sheets of paper.

"Shizuka-san! I forgot to give you these…" He said, ignoring Satoshi's presence.

_Is he kidding? He can't call her by her first name—they just met! _I _don't even call her by her first name…_

"Oh, thank you." She said taking them. When she glanced up, she saw Satoshi glaring at Miyamoto, who was acting a little smug. Both boys were staring at each other. "So, Shizuka-san, I was just going to go get something to eat with some friends—do you want to come with us? My treat." He said, winking.

Satoshi took her hand and pulled her away, picking up her bag for her. "Actually, _Inochi-san _and I were just leaving, so if you'll excuse us…"

Miyamoto stood there, dumbfounded.

Satoshi was walking Shizuka to the music shop where she works, still holding her hand from before.

"Hikari-kun? You're not… jealous of Miyamoto-kun, are you?" She asked. When he didn't answer, she realized she'd hit the nail on the head. "You know, you don't have to be. There's nothing—"

"I know—I guess I couldn't help it." Now that he thought about it, he had much more self control before he met Shizuka. Nowadays, he was doing more reckless things.

"So how did the rehearsal go? I didn't get to watch." Actually, she was able to glance over a few times, and, as much as she hated to admit it, she felt a tiny pang of jealousy towards Risa.

"It went okay." He said, unenthusiastically. _I would much rather be dancing with you._

……………….

"What?! You what?!" Said Daisuke out loud during dinner. His parents were so used to this kind of thing that they just laughed it off.

'I sent out a warning letter.' Said Dark, nonchalantly.

_Why? Without telling me?! For when?_

'For after New Year's—don't worry about it!'

_You just want to get back at Krad, don't you?_

'Well, we would have been stealing something anyway—I just thought I'd beat Emiko to it.'

…………Next Day…………..

"Okay, everyone—let's try a little harder today!"

The whole cast groaned in unison.

"Saehara-kun", started Riku, "Risa's sick today—she stayed home."

"What?! You mean we don't have our main character?! Now how are we supposed to rehearse?"

Right when he said that, every girl in the class who wasn't in the cast already jumped up.

"I could be Belle today!"

"No—ME! I dance really well!"

"I'll do it!!!"

"I wanna dance with Hiwatari-kun!!!"

When the squeals began to subside, Takeshi decided, "Well, I think it would be better not to pick one of Hiwatari's fan girls." He said to Daisuke. "We wouldn't get anything done."

"That'll be hard—we're talking about every girl in the class!" Said Masahiro, who was standing near them.

"Ah! I know! The new girl!" He said. Satoshi froze. "Inochi-san! C'mere a sec!"

Shizuka looked up from the piano, where she was trying to hide behind her hair.

"M-me? But, I can't dance…"

Before she could say anything else, Takeshi pulled he up and pretty much threw her at Satoshi, who caught her. "There! Problem solved!" He said, turning to the fan girls. They all scowled and went back to work, leaving Takeshi to start his dance lesson.

"Okay! Now, Hiwatari, put your hands on her waist."

"You really shouldn't make her do something she doesn't want to—" Started Satoshi

"Fine, then _I'll_ show you!" Said Takeshi

"Okay, okay, I'll do it…" He said, reluctantly putting his hands on her waist, avoiding eye contact.

"Inochi-san, one hand should be one his shoulder, and the other would be holding your skirt up."

"O-okay…" She said, obliging.

"Hmm…. Something seems a little wrong…" Said Masahiro.

"Oh—they need to be standing closer together! They're way to far apart!" Yelled Takeshi. He pushed Shizuka towards Satoshi so that her head was on his chest. Luckily, her hair fell in her face before anyone could see her turn bright red. Her heart was pounding so loud—she swore everyone else could hear it too.

"Okay now, Hiwatari, you have to lead. Count 1 2 3, 1 2 3… Don't look down, look at each other! 1 2 3…"

Her eyes met Satoshi's for a brief second, and she saw that he was just as embarrassed as she was, so that helped her calm down a little bit. Takeshi made them dance for a while, to get the hang of it, then decided that they could stop for the day.

"Okay, now to finish, you have to bow, and you have to curtsy."

They separated, and each did as Takeshi instructed. Then, to her surprise, Satoshi took her hand and kissed it lightly, looking right at her. She felt light headed, and didn't have any visible response other than blushing. Inside, she felt her heart skip a few beats.

"Great Improvising! You should do that on stage too!" Said Takeshi.

_Definitely not. _

'You're so faithful, Satoshi-sama.'

…………………….

After class, Satoshi and Shizuka walked together as usual. "Sorry! I'm really a terrible dancer!" She said, laughing. She was still shaken up from before.

"I didn't think you were bad at all. You're actually really good. Saehara-kun really likes to put pressure on everyone, doesn't he?"

"Yeah… But I didn't know you could do ballroom dancing, Hikari-kun. Who taught you?"

"I think it was just one of those things my father made me learn for social work dances. I've never actually had to dance with anyone before, though." He said, thinking of the countless useless things he learned that he never used. "Sorry if I embarrassed you before, by the way. I couldn't help myself", he said, smirking.

Before she could answer, his cell phone rang.

_Why does he ruin everything? _He thought, referring to his father.

"Hello?"

"Hello Satoshi! How are you?"

"Fine." He said, not wanting to say anything that might worry Shizuka.

"I forgot to tell you last time we spoke—I have a party coming up, and I need you to be there. You'll need a date, too."

_Is he crazy? _

'What for?"

"To dance with, of course." He said.

_He probably has people with him in his office._

"I'll talk to you more next time, Satoshi. Just keep in mind that you need to ask someone."

Satoshi hung up the phone in disbelief.

_I hate him. He's going to try to hurt her if I bring her. I have to find a way out of it._

'You misunderstand your father. He just wants you to have a good time at the party.'

Satoshi snickered. _Yeah, right…_

"Hikari-kun? Is something wrong?"

"No, it's not important."

_I have to get out of it. There's no way I can have her meet him._

AU: Sorry—I've had so much homework lately!!!!!!!!!! This chapter is sooo late! Anyway, hope you enjoyed the fluff, and in case you haven't seen it on my profile, if I get five reviews I'll start including previews for the next chapter. Mata~~~ PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!


	15. New Years!

I do not own DNAngel

"Ow! Stop it, jerk!" Yelled Risa, on the way to Daisuke's house. It was New Year's Eve, and she and Riku were spending it at Daisuke's with Satoshi and Shizuka. What she didn't know, however, was that Takeshi was coming too. They ran into him on the way, and now he was being a brat. Risa had decided to wear a series of bows in her hair, and Takeshi was pulling them each time she went to fix one. Just now, he had accidentally pulled her hair really hard, and one of the bows fell into a puddle.

"Oh my God! Why did you do that?!" She yelled.

"Hey, I was just fixing it for you!" He said, in defense.

Riku sighed. She was used to this kind of thing from Risa and Takeshi. As soon as they got to Daisuke's she could have a_ real conversation_, with people who_ acted their age. _Takeshi picked up the ribbon and wiped it on his shirt, smudging the mud even more.

"Stop it! You're making it worse, just give it here!"

……………….

Ring~~~

"Coming!" Called Daisuke. At the door were Satoshi and Shizuka, who had come together. "Hey, Hiwatari-kun, Inochi-san." He said, acknowledging both and showing them inside. "Are Riku-san and Harada-san not here yet?" Asked Shizuka.

"Oh, they'll be here soon. Saehara-kun, too."

"Is that them?" Asked Satoshi, referring to screams and laughter coming from outside, and moving up the driveway.

"Yeah… I guess so" Said Daisuke, an anime sweat drop forming. He opened the door and there stood Riku, with Takeshi and Risa at her feet on the ground.

"Hey, Niwa-kun." She said, stepping over them.

"Hello!"

………………

"So, it's 10:00. We have two hours before the countdown—whatcha guys wanna do?" Asked Takeshi, who had made himself quite at home already. Everyone was sitting in the living room, with Daisuke's family in the kitchen. Takeshi was taking up the whole loveseat, with his feet hanging off the edge, and Daisuke, Riku and Risa were on the couch. That left Satoshi and Shizuka on the small sofa, which was meant for one person, but could easily fit two. They had the fireplace going, and Takeshi was shuffling a deck of cards.

"We should play 'Truth or Dare'!" Exclaimed Risa. "Or 'Would you Rather?!'"

"Hmmm…. That could work. Daisuke, what do you think?"

"I-I don't know, Saehara-kun… Not everyone might be up to it…"

"Then it's settled! We'll play 'Would you Rather'!" Said Takeshi.

"YES!" Yelled Risa. This was her favorite game—it was sooo interesting!

"Oh no…" Mourned Riku.

"How do you play?" Asked Satoshi to Shizuka. This wasn't really his thing. Before she could answer, Risa stood up and said, "It's easy! Someone has to give you two choices, and you pick which you'd rather do!"

"How do you win?"

"You don't!"

"…"

"It's kind of pointless, Hiwatari-kun—don't try to understand it." Said Riku.

The six of them each rolled a dice to decide who'd get to go first, and that person could ask anyone they wanted. Then, that person asked would go, and so forth. As it turned out, Risa rolled the highest number, and got to go first.

"Okaaaay, I'll ask… Saehara-kun!"

"Okay, bring it on!"

"Okay, would you rather… live the rest of your life in solitude, never leaving your house, and be miserable, or…..marry Niwa-kun!"

"WHAT?!" Shrieked Riku, Takeshi and Daisuke in unison.

'Ha! This is fun!' Said Dark, inside Daisuke.

_Darrrrk!_

"Well, obviously I'd live by myself!!!"

"That's good…" Sighed Daisuke.

"That wasn't a good one, Risa." Said Riku.

"Okay, my turn, right? I pick… Hiwatari-kun!!!"

Satoshi sighed, and looked up. "fine."

"Would you rather… perform a Hawaiian dance for us, right now, or be thrown into a vat of lava!!?" Said Takeshi, stupidly.

_What the hell?_

'Please choose the lava' Said Krad, snickering.

"That's stupid—I could've thought of something better!" Said Risa, disappointed.

"I'll take the lava." Said Satoshi, dully. Shizuka giggled next to him—she could totally see Satoshi picking the latter of the two, even if they were right in front of him.

"You're no fun, Hiwatari." Said Takeshi.

"This is soooo boring—we should make it Truth or Dare!" Said Risa.

"What? You're changing your mind already?" Said Riku, annoyed.

"Yeah—this is boring 'cause nothing happens!"

"Okay, so… let's roll the dice again!"

And so they rolled again. This time, Riku came out first. She smiled at her sister, and threw the dice at her head.

"Ow! Riku!"

"Truth or Dare?!" snapped Riku.

"Truth…" Said Risa, scared of what Riku would do if she said 'dare'.

"Okay… Is it true that you used to like Saehara-kun?"

"What? Of course not—I'd never sink that low!!!"

"Risaaaaaa-chaaaan… I had nooo ideaaa" Sang Takeshi, enjoying this. This earned him a shoe in the face.

"Shut up! My turn! Hmmm….." She looked around the room. Everyone had had a chance to speak except… "Shizuka-chan!"

Shizuka, who was trying to hide behind Satoshi, peaked her head out from behind him.

"Truth or Dare?"

"Tru—"

"Dare it is!" Said Risa, cutting her off. "I dare you to… kiss Saehara-kun!" Satoshi looked up, glaring at Risa while she wasn't looking.

'I love how this always happens to _you_, Satoshi-sama.'

"W-what? I can't…"

"C'mon, I won't—" Started Takeshi.

"I don't think that's fair, Harada-san." Said Satoshi. He had had enough of these games.

"Oh, I get it—you'd rather have Shizuka-chan alllll to yourself!" Said Risa, giggling. She had no idea that they were a couple, but seeing as how they were always together, she wanted to torment them. "In that case, why don't _you_ kiss her?"

'hmph. I dare you, Satoshi-sama. Kiss her. In front of all these people, I dare you.'

Shizuka looked away, blushing, as did Satoshi. They sat there in an awkward silence, then Daisuke came to the rescue.

"I think we should play a different game. How about… Hide and go Seek?" Said Daisike.

"Oh, that's a great idea!"

'Hide-and-go-seek? You're joking, right?' Said Dark, laughing.

"Okay!" Said Risa, distracted. They all agreed Riku would count first, and that they would play indoors, since it was cold outside. Once Riku started counting, Risa ran off, and Takeshi grabbed Daisuke by the collar and pulled him into the hallway. Satoshi and Shizuka decided to hide upstairs.

……………

"Saehara-kun?!" Whispered Daisuke

"Shhhh, let's spy on Hiwatari and Inochi-san!"

"What? Why!"

"'cause, I wanna know what they talk about when they're alone! Reporter's instinct!"

"Aww, can't we just play the game?"

Takeshi and Daisuke followed Satoshi and Shizuka upstairs while they weren't looking. When they got up there, they hid behind a corner, near the hallway Satoshi and Shizuka were in.

"Where should we hide?" She asked.

"How about… in the bathroom?" Satoshi suggested.

They walked in, but decided that it would be obvious, since they'd have to leave the door open. Downstairs, Riku's voice could be heard reaching ninety.

"Saehara-kun, let's hurry!" Said Daisuke.

"Why isn't anything happening?" Asked Takeshi, bored.

"What did you _want_ to happen?"

Riku had finished counting, and could be heard coming up the stairs. Takeshi and Daisuke jumped and dove into a nearby room, closing the door loudly.

Satoshi and Shizuka were caught off-guard, and Satoshi spotted a closet. "Over here" He said, pulling her in with him. The closet wasn't small, but it was loaded with junk, so there was no room to stand. They ended up standing very close together in the back of the closet, where there was more room. It was really dark, so Satoshi held onto Shizuka so they wouldn't get lost in the mess, but when she stepped forward…

Riku came up the stairs, with Risa, who had already been found hiding under a table, and had heard doors slamming. She and Risa opened all the doors, until they heard a loud 'crash' in one of the bedrooms. When Riku opened the door, she saw Takeshi and Daisuke on the floor, clutching their heads. As it turns out, they had tried to climb up to the alcove above the door, but they fell off. "Found you!" She said, laughing.

"Now… Just need to find Hiwatari-kun and Inochi-san…"

As if one cue, Both of them fell out of the closet they were hiding in, along with piles of junk. Satoshi landed on top of Shizuka, with a pile of blankets and books on top of him.

'This certainly looks suspicious…' Taunted Krad.

"Oh my—what _were_ you doing in there?" Sang Takeshi.

"Leave them alone" Said Riku, unenthusiastically. It was no use scolding Takeshi.

"It's not what it looks like!" said Shizuka quickly.

"We were just hiding. Inochi-san tripped over something and everything just came tumbling out…"

"What-_ever_ you say, Hiwatari." Said Takeshi, smirking.

In truth, everything Satoshi said had really happened—Shizuka tripped over something, and he tried to catch her, but instead he fell, too. His foot had hooked onto something, and a series of blankets and towels came down with them. After a few minutes of shoving everything back into the closet, they all went downstairs to set off some fireworks Kosuke had bought. They went outback, and started lighting sparklers and setting off bottle rockets.

"Check it out!" Said Takeshi. "They have bottle rockets and snake fireworks!!! Let's see if we can set them all off at the same time!"

"I don't think that's a good idea, Saehara-kun." Said Satoshi, matter-of-factly. "You could start a fire."

"Party pooper…"

"Oh, look! Sparklers!" Exclaimed Riku. "Here, Risa, Shizuka-chan…" She said, handing them each a bag. Kosuke and Daiki had started a fire in the fire pit, so they could use that to light the fire works.

"Have you ever lit these before?" Asked Satoshi, to Shizuka.

"No, but I've seen kids on my old block do it…"

"Satoshi took one of the sparklers from the bag and effortlessly lit it in the fire. Then he placed it in her hand, but didn't let go. He stood behind her, holding the sparkler through her hand.

"It's so pretty…" She said, holding it up. He moved his hand so that it covered hers completely—her hands were much smaller than his. Everyone else had moved to the other side of the yard, and started shooting off bottle rockets, so Satoshi and Shizuka were the only ones left by the fire pit. When the sparkler ran out, he spun her around and leaned in so their foreheads were touching.

"You know—I think I'll take that dare from before…" He whispered, pulling her closer. Shizuka started to feel dizzy as her heart sped up. Just as he was about to close the gap between them, Takeshi fell out of a nearby tree, and landed next to them. Satoshi and Shizuka jumped away from each other quickly. Satoshi was so angry—he felt like screaming at Takeshi to leave, but then that would draw attention to them even more.

"Oh, OW! Dammit, stupid tree. Aw man, and you guys were gonna kiss, weren't you?" He said, rubbing it in. Satoshi had to mentally restrain himself from kicking Takeshi before he could get up. Shizuka back up a little, but crashed into Risa, who had also been spying on them. "So, I was RIGHT!" She yelled, forcing Shizuka to go back.

"Can't you guys just leave them alone?" Whined Daisuke. He felt bad for Satoshi and Shizuka. Aside from the curse preventing a normal relationship, they had to worry about Takeshi and Risa. Before Takeshi could make a big deal out of it, Emiko called them all inside to watch the countdown on TV. they filed in, and each took the same seats as before. They turned on the TV, and Daisuke's family pulled in some kitchen chairs for themselves to sit on. This year, the ball was red. Last year, it had been blue. The clock on the corner of the screen began to tick away the seconds, and soon, they were at 30. Satoshi wrapped an arm around Shizuka's waist—they were already sitting close together, and no one else was watching. Not that it mattered anymore, anyway. Everyone else was engrossed in watching the ball drop. 20 seconds.

19

18

17

"Oh wow—it's up so high!" Exclaimed Risa.

15

14

"What year are we entering again?" Called Takeshi over his shoulder.

12

11

"Idiot." Muttered Riku.

9

8

7

"Oh, this is so exciting, isn't it Kosuke?" Said Emiko.

5

4

3…

2…

1…

!!!

"Happy NewYear!"

Daiki opened a bottle of Champaign, and Risa and Takeshi threw some confetti at each other. Daisuke gave Riku a shy kiss on the forehead, and joined Takeshi and Risa in their fight. When he was sure no one was paying attention, Satoshi gave Shizuka a quick peck on the lips, causing her to blush and hide in his shoulder. The only one who actually saw was Kosuke, who winked at Satoshi. Satoshi just looked away—now it was _his_ turn to blush.

'Smooth.' Stated Krad.

The part was a success, and everyone went home around 2am, since Takeshi insisted on playing card games all night. Satoshi and Shizuka thanked Daisuke, and left for Shizuka's apartment. They didn't run or take back roads this time, so it took about an hour. They talked the whole way, though, so the time passed very quickly. They got back to Shizuka's place around 3:30am, and, since the sun rose early at 5:00, they decided to wait and watch the first sunrise. They watched TV and talked about the school play for a while, until the sun started to come up. They were going to watch from the porch, but instead tried to climb a tree and watch from there. Satoshi went up first, then help Shizuka up, but when she was almost there, her foot slipped and they fell down—the branch with them. They laughed it off, and watched from down in the snow.

"Inochi-san… Dark's left another warning letter… would it be alright if I came again to see you afterwards?" He asked. It's not like he really needed to ask permission—he always ended up checking on her afterwards anyway. She nodded shyly. "I wish I could protect you better…" He murmured.

"Hikari-kun… you've already done enough…" she whispered. He wanted to ask what she meant, but instead, she cut him off, "Look—the sun's coming up!"

_A New Year's resolution… I already have one in mind…_

AU: This is sooooo long—and it's all fluff!!! So, in Japan, I'm pretty sure they don't watch the ball drop like we do, but I added that anyway. And as for the childish games—I play them alllll the time!!! If you've never played these with your friends, you need to try it! I didn't add too much of Dark and Krad, because it tends to break up the story. You can probably imagine what they're thinking, though. Hope you liked—Please Please PLEASE review if you're reading this!!!!!!!!!! You have to idea how many hours went into this one chapter!!!! Ja, ne~~~!


	16. Once upon a time

I do not own DNAngel

_Ready, Daisuke?_ Asked Dark. He had sent out a warning letter to the same museum as last time to steal the famous 'Marble Crown', one of the most well known Hikari artworks in the area. Aside from regular work, he really wanted to get back at Krad for breaking the last artwork—it definitely pissed him off. Nothing like that had ever happened.

'Yeah…' Sighed Daisuke, who was already bored with Dark's plan for vengeance. His ego was _way_ too big for his own good, so when something like this happens, he blows it way out of proportion. Dark swooped in and slipped in the backdoor—the police guards never seemed to learn that the front door does NOT need to be heavily guarded.

_Piece of cake. Now, let's see if we can't find the commander…_

Dark entered the same room as last time, and, sure enough, saw Satoshi in front of the case where the crown was being kept. Without even giving his usual greetings, Dark silkily glided up to the case, as if Satoshi weren't there, and made a quick grab for it, but when his hand was about an inch from the glass, it was rebounded back by a wall of magic—almost like steel. Satoshi was carrying the same staff as last time, and was gripping it very tightly.

"Evening, Commander. So, what's the staff for?" He asked, stepping back a little.

"That's none of your business. Don't you have a reputation to fix? Come on over, Dark."

"That's where you get the black magic, right? You know, that's pretty strong stuff for a human." Dark said, fiddling with a pair of handcuffs behind his back.

In one swift movement, Dark slid past Satoshi, and attempted to get the handcuffs on at least one of his wrists, even if just to distract him. Satoshi tripped Dark and walked over to the other side of the pedestal. Dark got up, obviously annoyed, and made a grab for the staff. Satoshi stepped to the side and, took out a small blade and made a tiny cut on his upper arm. He lifted the staff a little, and a circle of light enclosed around Dark on the floor. Dark was trapped inside a circle of black magic, fueled by Satoshi's own blood. This trap, however, required so much concentration, and continuous energy, that he knew Krad would have to take over soon.

As if on cue, Satoshi dropped to the floor, and the barrier broke. Krad began trying to come out, and since Satoshi didn't have much energy left, he couldn't put up much of a fight. White wings began sprouting from his back, and he let out a cry of pain, clenching his fists. When he rose, Krad pulled out his signature white feather, and to Dark's surprise, took flight, leaving the museum.

'Dark? Where's he going?' Asked Daisuke, who had remained quiet this whole time.

I know exactly where he's going. Dark picked up the now unprotected crown and called wiz over. He began flying in the opposite direction of their house, and Daisuke suddenly realized where they were heading.

…………….

Back at home, Shizuka was fixing a few instruments she had gotten from work. They had received a box of old, fragile violins and violas that were considered too old to be played, and they were supposed to be thrown out, but Shizuka's boss had let her take some for herself, if she could fix them. So that's where she was, replacing pegs and bridges, and restringing bows. They were really scratched up, but there was nothing wrong with them that couldn't be fixed with time.

She had promised to wait up for Satoshi, and couldn't help but wonder what he did to try and capture Dark. The Hikari family was very skilled in magic, and could lock it up inside their artworks. She had heard a lot of stories of the Hikari family from her parents. According to them, the Hikaris were always immersed in their art, and preferred sculpting to any sort of human contact. They wanted nothing more than to create living artworks, 'playing God', as her parents put it.

_Once upon a time, there was a family of artists—all prodigies in what they did. They were the Hikari family. They had been friends with her family, the Inochi family, for as long as they could remember, and often liked to create things for the Inochi family, as an expression of gratitude, and the Inochi family would always help if someone was sick or needed to be healed. They were like a team, until the Hikaris persuaded them to try to make their art come to life, giving it it's own character. Of course, trusting them when they said it would be effortless, giving life to something not living was easier said than done. It took a lot of magic, and even then, it never truly came to life. All the Hikari artworks revert back to their original non-living form when not activated, and the Hikaris had wanted a real, living breathing artwork. They kept this up for years, and year after year, the Hikari family had become more and more demanding of their powers. They didn't even ask for their help anymore—they expected it. The Hikaris were making themselves sick working, and were making the Inochis even more sick, overworking them. There was a time when the heir of the Hikari family, a 12 year old boy, didn't come out of a room until his painting was real enough to be confused with a real person, and people had to deliver him food and force him to sleep with simple herb-drugs. It was all madness. _

_When they convinced him to take a walk and get away from the Hikari-estate for a while, he met up with the eldest of the Niwa children, who was his age. The two families had no relation to each other at the time—just another well-to-do family with a passion for art in their town. When the Niwa heir recognized the Hikari boy, from those distinctive blue eyes—the whole Hikari family has them, he asked to see one of his paintings. He was a fan of the family's art, and wanted to see one in the making. The boy, flattered, showed him his current painting—a landscape of a garden at night, that appeared to have a seascape as a sky, with fish and sea grass, and stars in the water. It was a very clever painting, and the Niwa boy was so impressed that he asked if he might be able to watch him paint it one day, since his family wasn't really artistically skilled. They preferred critiquing and admiring it from afar to actually trying a hand at it. _

_The two boys became friends, and one day went walking in town together. Along the way, they saw a girl playing the harp on the street. She was wearing a white dress and had bright green eyes, which the Hikari heir immediately recognized as Inochi eyes. Not wanting to interrupt the song, he left a coin by her feet, assuming she was playing for money. Later that evening, when he stepped outside, he saw the girl walking around the outer gates of the Estate. She still had her harp with her, and appeared to be looking for something. He decided to try talking to her. As close as the two families were, he hadn't ever gotten to meet anyone from the Inochi family. He had been kept isolated, and when asked if he wanted to ask them for help in bringing his painting to life, he said he'd rather try to do it by his own hands. When he asked what she was doing there, she replied that she was looking for him, and handed him the coin he had left earlier through the gate. She said she didn't take charity, and that she just plays for fun. He invited her inside the gates, and showed her around his garden—the Hikari were very well-off, and he had his own small courtyard. Now that he had started coming out of his room, he couldn't understand why he had never taken the time to explore it in the first place—it was perfect for painting. When he showed the girl his painting, she also asked if she could come visit again, and actually asked if she could write a song to go along with his painting. That night, after she left, the boy painted her and her harp in his painting._

_Everyday, from then on, the girl would come with her harp, and play while he painted. The Niwa boy would come too, and would watch him paint and listen to her play the harp. They did this for hours on end, and days turned into months, which became years. The three became very close, and even sometimes met outside the Hikari gates, at a park or the forest to work instead. They never bothered to tell their parents who they were with all day, since they figured it was no big deal. They didn't really realize their families' relationship._

_Back in the real world, the Hikari family had been creating their art obsessively and the Inochis continued to help. When some of them became sick, however, the head of the Inochi family turned to the head of the Hikari family for advice and help. Surely their friends would help them, is what they thought. But the Hikaris were much too caught up in their pretend worlds that they thought the Inochi family was betraying them. They said that they couldn't bail out now, and refused to help with them problem, since they felt the Inochi could handle it themselves. Then, one of the Inochi heirs died, from overexertion by the Hikari. The Inochi stopped helping the Hikari, and the Hikari became outraged, and even went as far as to try and kidnap the Inochi children. Soon, the families separated themselves completely, and the Inochis were forbidden to go anywhere near the Hikari gates, in fear of what might happen to them if they did. Of course, that didn't stop the three heirs from seeing each other. _

_They weren't as well informed as they ought to have been before, so now that the Hikari boy and the Inochi girl's families were at war, they didn't know how they should react. The Niwa boy was totally unconcerned, and thought everyone was over-reacting. Years had passed, and there was a slight rivalry between the two boys over who would end up with the sole girl of their group. They were best friends, but neither of them could deny that they wanted the other out of the picture. The girl didn't seem to realize this on the Niwa boy's end, however, and remained closer with the Hikari boy. The Niwa boy became frustrated at the lack of attention from her as he watch the two grow closer. He was jealous of the Hikari boy. Jealous that he was getting more attention from the girl, and jealous that he could paint pictures that came to life. He wanted the pictures and the girl, but he knew he couldn't have them. Eventually, he stopped coming to see them._

_The Hikaris were frustrated. They wanted to bring their art to life, and the Inochis would not cooperate. They had even tried to make magic of their own, and succeeded, but no amount of their magic would ever bring their art to life. Not without the Inochi family's help. They begged and pleaded, saying they were over their obsession, and just wanted to try it on last time, on a living artwork called the Black Wings that the heir of the family had just started creating. The Inochi family still would not budge, and the Hikaris decided to try kidnapping. After several attempts, the Inochi family used their magic to create a strong shield around their estate—no one could go in or out. _

_After this shield was built, the girl couldn't leave the house anymore. She was trapped inside, and wouldn't be able to get word to either of her friends to let them know what happened. The Hikari boy, however, had no idea why she stopped coming, and thought she had betrayed him as well. Abandoned by his friends, he locked himself back up in his room, and began working on his newest artwork—the Black Wings. He had started it a while back, and was planning on showing it to the Inochi girl soon, but now that she didn't want to see him anymore, he could do without her. He reverted back to his isolated phase from years ago—stopping only to breath. He heard his family talk of the wonderful art they created with the Inochi family—the spark of life he could almost—but not quite—express on his own. He thought of how wonderful it must feel to know that your art is alive. That something you made could come to life. _

_One night, at the Inochi estate, the girl found a small weak spot in the barrier, and with just a little of her own magic, was able to break through. The one place she wanted to go right then was the Hikari estate, and ever so quietly, made her way over to the gates by her friend's garden. He saw her and let her in immediately, excited that she had come to see him after so long—another whole year had passed. He lost any trace of isolation, and looked just like he did back then. He showed her the Black Wings, and described the life that he wanted for it. Instead of agreeing with him, however, she became afraid of what he had become. He had never been so obsessed with giving his artworks life, and he seemed to expect her to be able to do it. When she asked what had happened to wanting to give it life by himself—without their magic, he understood that she didn't want to help him. His eyes changed, and he threatened that he knew how to force the magic out of her. She ran away, and crashed into the Niwa boy on the way back to the Inochi estate. She told him what happened, and he saw this as his chance to make her love him. He tried everything—comforting her, promising to help the Hikari boy, and telling her that he could protect her from him, but no matter what he said, she only wanted the Hikari boy to return to the way he was. _

_Meanwhile, the Hikari boy had become obsessed with bringing the Black Wings to life, and he needed an Inochi to do it. However, that childish part of him still wanted the Inochi girl he liked to be the one to do it, and he decided that if she could see what he saw, she would want it too. He convinced himself that she wanted it too, and was just scared. He decided that kidnapping her would be the only way to get what he wanted, and that she would forgive him. He set out to kidnap her the next night._

_Ever since she had found that weak spot in the barrier, the Inochi girl took walks whenever she could. She stayed away from the main gates of the Hikari estate, but couldn't help but pass up the Hikari boy's garden sometimes—just to see if he was there. One night, she was walking around the main part of town, and saw the Hikari boy there. But before she could call out to him, her mouth was covered and she was being put to sleep._

_When she woke up, she was in a small dark room with no lights. In front of her was the Hikari boy, and behind him the Black Wings—and enormous skeleton structure that to her looked like the ugliest thing ever created. The Hikari boy had changed a lot. He asked her one last time to help him—said that they could create the first real, fully alive piece of artwork right then. She refused once more, and tried to call for help. To her surprise, and terror, the Hikari boy held out a small rutile in his hand and stood like that for a few seconds. Then, ever so suddenly, she began to emit a greenish light—the same greenish light that came from healing wounds or transferring energy. The light moved from her to the Black Wings, and then all at once, the magic began flowing freely without control, and the Black Wings was absorbing her energy like a sponge. She screamed, and the boy finally snapped out of it—realizing that if he didn't stop, she would die. He threw the rutile to the floor, but it was too late—the magic had already been used, and the rutile was worthless. She continued to scream, and the magic continued to flow. The boy couldn't think of anything to do to help, and he just watched in fear. Then, the Niwa boy broke threw the door and used some magic he had taught himself to try and freeze the process so he could take the Black Wings for himself. He figured that the girl would hate the Hikari boy, and he could take her and the artwork. Unfortunately, it didn't work that way. The artwork split, and the magic became confused, and reversed, creating two separate beings out of the Black Wings. The energy continued to flow from the girl to the two pieces of the Black Wings, and her screams subsided. The green light disappeared, and she fell lifelessly to the floor. She had died. Meanwhile, each half of the Black Wings became fused with the two boys who were standing next to it—One half went to the Hikari boy, the other to the Niwa boy. The reversed magic created a kind of explosion that mixed up the magic in all the members of the Inochi family. Since their magic source was connected, they all suffered from the reverse, and they couldn't use their powers anymore. They instead began steadily giving off their magic, and this continued for generations to come. _

_When the two boys saw the girl, they fought over whose fault it was. Both were devastated, and their fates were set—The Niwa's: Their love will never love them back; and the Hikari's: Whoever they love will suffer at their hands. _

_Their names were Hikari Ayunu , Niwa Hiroshi, and Inochi Aiko. _

_Vision, Generosity, Love._

………………

A knock on the door had brought Shizuka back to reality. She expected it to be Satoshi, and was about to open the door, but Krad did it himself. He walked inside as if she were expecting him. Shizuka backed up, but Krad just followed suit, and eventually she was against a wall in the kitchen.

"Good Evening." He said, cordially. "It's nice to finally meet you properly. My name… is Krad. But you remember me, don't you?" Shizuka didn't answer, and stayed frozen in the corner. Luckily, Dark wasn't far behind Krad, and he flew in and knocked Krad over, buying him time. He grabber Shizuka and tried to get her outside, but Krad used magic to block the door, so there was no way out. Dark tried Breaking a window, but once again Krad had the place on total lockdown. He decided that the only thing he could do is talk and keep Krad occupied until Satoshi regained control. He stood in front of Shizuka defensively, and held out the crown to Krad.

"Isn't this what you wanted, Krad?" He said, reluctantly. "You shouldn't drag outside parties into these kinds of things—it's not polite. Take the crown and go."

"I don't want _that_, Dark." Spat Krad. Tossing the crown aside. "What _I_ want… it _this_!" He said, firing a powerful spell in Dark and Shizuka's direction. Dark took the full hit, and was knocked backwards, ending up next to Shizuka. He was standing, but leaning in the corner against the wall and a counter, clutching his stomach. Krad fired another one at Shizuka, who moved out of the way just in time. Dark recovered enough to stand on his own, and took Shizuka by the arm, pushing her into he corner he was just standing in. He stood in front of her again, and acted as a shield for the upcoming attack. This time, though, Krad's spell is much larger, it hits both of them, leaving the two separated on opposite sides of the room. With Dark out of the way, Krad approached Shizuka and held out a single white feather. It began to glow, and a light pierced from it, and aimed at Shizuka. It felt like a blade, even though no scars or bruises were left. The light didn't stop, and Krad stepped closer. With each step the pain was sharper, until he was right on top of her. He knelt down and lifted her face, making her look at him. He just laughed in her face, and held the feather up to her body. She couldn't even scream. All the while, Satoshi had been fighting for control, but Krad was determined to keep him weak. This was the disadvantage to black magic—Satoshi couldn't fight back against Krad.

"It's too bad… such a pretty girl. I'm sure Satoshi-sama will be very upset."

He lifted her up by the arm and prepared to throw the feather at her, but Dark beat him to it, and threw his own feather at Krad, though not doing much more than distracting him. Satoshi continued to fight for control, and the momentary stumble was enough to surpress Krad. Satoshi regained control, and collapsed face first. Dark walked over from across the room and helped Shizuka up.

"You okay?" He asked.

"H-hikari-kun?!" She exclaimed when she saw him on the floor. She ran over as fast as she could, which was still really slow, and dropped to the floor.

"He'll be fine. He should wake up soon." Shizuka rolled him over on his back, and Dark helped her get him on the couch. As much as he hated Satoshi, he couldn't just leave Shizuka here to do this by herself.

"Dark… thanks." She said, afterwards. They had moved Satoshi onto the couch and pulled it out into a small bed. Shizuka had found some extra blankets and a pillow, so he would be staying there. Dark stayed in case she needed help walking, but didn't want to be there when Satoshi woke up.

"Don't worry about it. I'd tell you to stay away from Hiwatari, but you wouldn't listen, would you?" He said, a hint of humor in his voice. He picked up the crown and flew off, leaving Satoshi in Shizuka's care.

Shizuka sat next to him and watched over him. He was finally breathing regularly, and he didn't have too much damage, except for a small cut on his arm, almost in the same place as last time. Surprisingly, even to herself, she wasn't the least bit afraid of Satoshi staying over after what happened with Krad. He almost killed her—it was lucky Dark was there, or she'd be dead right now. She thought back to the stories she had heard of Dark and Krad, and how they were always fighting. She had been brought up to hate the Hikari family, but whenever she heard the story, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the Hikari boy. As for the Niwa family, she was taught that they were also enemies, for stealing and sealing the artworks. But still, she couldn't blame them.

Satoshi began turning in his sleep. He was exhausted after using the black magic in the museum, and then Krad using some of his own magic. More than once he wished people would stop trying to harness power they couldn't control—if they hadn't, then none of them would be caught in this mess now. He slowly became aware of his surroundings, and opened his eyes to see Shizuka standing over him.

"Hey—how're you feeling?" She asked, smiling. Satoshi jumped up, remembering what Krad had done earlier.

"Inochi-san, are you hurt? Krad…he… what happened?!"

"It's okay—Dark was here before, and…"

_oh, so HE had helped. _

Satoshi hated still hated Dark, especially now more than ever for what he's doing to Shizuka, but he was grateful that someone was here to protect her from Krad when he couldn't. He was a little jealous of Dark—_he_ wanted to be the one to protect her. Satoshi sat back a little, and Shizuka sat next to him. Suddenly, Satoshi remembered the crown—had Dark gotten it? Probably. That means soon…

"Inochi-san, did he take it? The crown?" He had to ask.

"Oh, I think so…" She said. She hadn't really been paying attention.

_Dammit!_

'I'm excited. We haven't gotten to see what happens when Dark seals an artwork.'

_That's sick! And I'm not talking to you._

"Hikari-kun, there's no school tomorrow—do you want to go somewhere?"

He looked up at her, and sighed. He pulled her into his arms, and embraced her tightly.

"Aren't you worried?" He asked, his face in her hair. She didn't reply, and for a minute Satoshi thought she might have fallen asleep, but then she gripped his shirt, and he loosened his grip slightly to look at her. She was shaking, and her eyes were a little dazed. She looked up at him, and he touched her cheek, showing he understood. This time without panicking, Satoshi took one of the blankets and draped it around her shoulders, pulling her back to him. She kept her grip on his shirt, and a transparent, greenish glow seemed to surround her. It was so faint—you wouldn't notice it at first glance. Her breathing was sharp, and tears were rolling down her face. She could feel the strength leaving her—it was a miserable experience, and she had no control over it. Satoshi whispered comforting words in her ear, cradling her, and eventually she fainted and stopped shaking, her grip loosening. The greenish glow disappeared for the most part, and Satoshi lied her down in the space next to him, pulling the blankets over her. He looked around her apartment. It was a huge mess from Dark and Krad's battle. He thought of cleaning some of it up before she woke up, but found that he still couldn't stand up. He watched over her for a while, wiping the leftover tears from her face. Pretty soon, he fell asleep.

…………….Next Morning…………….

The next morning, Shizuka woke up in the arms of a sleeping Satoshi. She was a little embarrassed that he had to see her like that last night, but he didn't seemed bothered by it like she thought. The green glow that surrounded her each time that happened… she hated it. It was inhuman, and she hated to be seen like that. She tried to get up, but she didn't want to wake Satoshi up in the process, so they just stayed like that until he woke up. As it turns out, Satoshi has very low blood pressure, so when he wakes up in the morning, he acts much less… Satoshi-ish. That's the best she could do in describing it without laughing.

He just kind of… sat there staring at her for a minute or two, not fully understanding what he was doing there. She realized that it would take a while until his brain caught up with his body, and she got up to make breakfast while he continued to watch her move around the kitchen. It was kind of cute, actually. He acted like a little kid. When she came back with some cereal, he set his bowl aside and decided he'd rather kiss her instead, taking her by surprise. She dropped what she was doing, startled, and flushed bright red. He pulled back, and was about to kiss her again, but she pushed him back, telling herself that he wasn't really himself at the moment. She made him eat to get his blood pressure up, and gave him clean clothes to wear so she could wash his. He spent the rest of the morning following her orders, 'eat this' or 'go to the bathroom and put this on', without complaining. After a while he snapped out of it, not remembering anything since he had woken up. She could tell immediately just by looking at him that he was awake, and realized that he was embarrassed that his low blood pressure had gotten the best of him.

Later on, after his clothes were dry, they went out to the clearing they had gone to on their first date, not too long ago. Their snowman was still there, and had frozen over solid. They spent the day building two new snowmen to see whose would come out better. Shizuka started on another snowman, like the one before, only she was trying to make four parts to it, and it kept collapsing. Satoshi decided to be a showoff, and started sculpting a swan. When she saw what he was making, she threw some snow at his head, even though she had been aiming for the swan.

"Hey!"

"Sorry—I was aiming for _that_." She said, pointing at the swan. He had only just started, so it didn't look like more than an outline, but still…

Satoshi laughed and threw some back at her, getting it in her hair. She threw another one and hid behind her deformed snowman, so when Satoshi tried to hit her, he missed. They went on like this for a while, and each had turned the original snowman, or swan, into a wall. Eventually, they decided to call a truce. When they each came out of their hiding spot, though, Satoshi couldn't resist the urge to push her into a pile of snow she had made while carving out her wall. Before she fell, she grabbed his wrist, so they fell down together. After they fell, Shizuka shoved his, making him fall off the mound, and they ended up rolling around in the snow, making snow angels and trying to bury each other in the snow. After a few minor battles, Satoshi had won, and had Shizuka pinned, under a blanket of snow.

"_I _win." He said, cockily, looking down at her.

"I can _see _that—I can't get up." She said, trying to life her arms.

"So what do I get?" He asked, mischievously.

"What?"

"For winning. I should get some sort of prize."

"You don't get anything" She said laughing. "You have bragging rights."

"No, I have a better idea." He said, bending down.

As soon as his lips touched hers, Shizuka felt the sensation of there being no gravity, and couldn't think of anything else except him. She couldn't feel the cold snow, and had forgotten where they were, so when he pulled away, the ground beneath her brought her back to reality. He began unearthing her from the snow, and extended a hand to help her. When she took it, he pulled her up into another kiss, longer than the first, making her dizzy. He pulled back just an inch, long enough to whisper "I love you", before kissing her again.

All the meanwhile, Krad was scheming on how to fix this 'problem'…

AU: This chapter is exactly 16 pages—right to the bottom!!! The next three chapters are probably my favorite… but I won't get around to writing them for a while unless I get some feedback… That means _you_, person reading this right now. If you're reading this thinking 'someone else'll review' or 'I'm too lazy', then this story will start to drag. I'll start my other story instead. So if you want me to keep writing this one, **say something**!


	17. Distances

I do not own DNAngel

"Okay everyone! We're on in ten minutes!" Announced Takeshi. It was, at last, the day of the cultural festival, and it was almost time for the class to perform their play. Everyone was dressed in hand-made costumes and make-up, and the sets were all hand-painted. They had moved a piano to the side of the stage, Takeshi had harassed—er, _asked_ the school board to change the colors of the lights, so they had special effects… sort of.

"Oh, you're sooo lucky, Risa-chaaaaan!!!" shouted some of Satoshi's fan girls. It took forever, but Takeshi was finally able to get them to dance well enough to not fall off the stage or trip over each other's feet. Satoshi actually _could_ dance, but he felt like being stubborn and decided not to do it right. Meanwhile, Miyamoto and Shizuka were over by the piano, organizing music and making sure everything was in tune (not that they could do much if it wasn't—tuning takes more than ten minutes). They would take turns playing the pieces. Daisuke and the other walking furniture pieces were lined up trying to cram all their lines, and Takeshi was yelling at people through his mega-phone.

Suddenly, all the lights went low and center stage lit up. Riku walked out to introduce the class and the play. Everyone else was getting into position, whether it be backstage or off to the side.

"Hey, Daisuke! Your mustache is falling off!" Yelled Takeshi.

"W-what?! Oh no! It took the girls forever to get it to stay!"

"Oh, wait! I have an idea!" He said, pulling out a sharpie.

"Saehara-kun!? What are you—NO!" Daisuke whispered, pushing him away.

"Relax—it'll just take a minute" He said, waving around the marker like a toy sword. He knocked Daisuke over, along with some of the costume racks (the noise could be heard outside!) and ripped off the mustache, redrawing it very sloppily on Daisuke's face with the marker. It was one of those French, curly mustaches that made you look like a waiter.

"Saehara-kun! What have you done!? Will it come off?!"

"Of course! It _says_ 'permanent', but it comes off easy!"

"Guys, we're on!" Yelled assistant director.

Risa walked on stage, holding a book that they had just realized they needed at the last minute. It was actually a math textbook. The rest of the class went out dressed in regular small-town attire, like in the movie. Takeshi, as Gaston, was carrying a huge colorful water gun and pretended to shoot a duck on one of the buildings, but the cardboard got soaked and started to collapse over. Satoshi, Daisuke, and the rest of the later cast watched in horror as the stage became soaking wet. People in the audience were laughing as some of the townspeople tried to discretely dry off the building.

…..later…..

"Ready for the dance scene, Hiwatari-kun?" Asked Daisuke. They had a few more minutes before the 'Tale as Old as Time' scene started. Satoshi sighed as if he didn't want to hear about it. "As ready as I'll _ever_ be…"

The lights went low again and Takeshi signaled that it was time for Satoshi to go on stage. He groaned and fixed the wig one last time; to make sure no one would be able to see it was him. The piano started playing, though Satoshi couldn't see whether it was Shizuka or Miyamoto. He walked over to Risa quickly, hoping to get this over with fast. He reluctantly put a hand on her waist, still looking over at the piano. Risa was a little ticked off that he wasn't even looking at her, but decided to just go with it. They began dancing, with Satoshi leading and praying that the piano would play faster so he could stop. Somewhere during the song, Risa actually scolded Satoshi for being a terrible dance partner, but he just looked away, blowing her off. _Almost over…_ he thought. Just when the song was going to end, one of the lights started to blink, and sparks were flying out. Satoshi was the first one to notice, and he led Risa over to the far end of the stage to avoid the sparks.

"Hey, Hiwatari-kun? What're you—"

"Shh, the light over there is going to burn out." He said quickly. Then, as if one cue, the entire light came falling to the floor in a loud crash, and sparks started flying. One of them caught the wooded stage and started a small fire, which caught the cloth on the curtain. Pretty soon, half the stage was on fire.

The whole cast evacuated the stage and Takeshi ran off to find a fire hydrant. Satoshi snuck off stage, leaving Risa standing there with the other cast members. He immediately took off the wig and costume, revealing a regular shirt and pants underneath.

_At least I don't have to finish the play._

'Aren't you the least bit embarrassed?'

_No._

'Are you going to help them put the fire out?'

_They have it under control_, he said, referring to Takeshi's water gun and fire hydrant. The teachers were there, so he didn't really have to do anything, right?

'That's not like you, Satoshi-sama.'

Takeshi went on stage to announce that the play wouldn't finish, due to stage damage, so the audience began slowly filing out, some still laughing. Satoshi found Shizuka with Miyamoto by the piano, packing up music.

"Man, did you see that fire!?" Yelled Miyamoto to Shizuka, gesturing with his hands. He was laughing.

"Y-yeah... I hope no one got hurt…"

"You know, most people wouldn't laugh about something like this" Said Satoshi icily. He started helping Shizuka pick up the fallen music.

"I know, but that was just so _cool_, right Shizuka-chan?!" He said, putting a hand on her shoulder. Before she could give a response, Satoshi brushed his hand off, giving him a cold look. "You should mind your personal space." He said, threateningly. "And what makes you think you can call her by her first name?" Just when Miyamoto was going to answer, someone from across the room called him over, and with a smug smile, he ran away.

"Thanks, Hikari-kun!" She said, smiling. Miyamoto had been acting kind of weird around her lately—it was starting to freak her out.

Suddenly, from behind them, came an all-to-familiar voice to Satoshi.

"Ah, Satoshi! I was looking for you!"

Standing before them was Kei, complete with suit and tie. Satoshi cursed under his breath and turned to face his father.

"What are you doing here? Don't you have work?"

"I can't take off for a day to see my son's school play?" He replied, laughing with his hand behind his head. Satoshi wasn't fooled.

"Oh, you must be Inochi-san, right?" He asked, turning his attention away from Satoshi. "It's nice to meet you." He said, bowing slightly. Shizuka had seen Satoshi's expression earlier, and how he always acted when he was on the phone with his dad. She bowed, reiterating the 'Nice to meet you'.

"By the way, Satoshi, have you asked anyone to that dance I told you about? It's tonight."

_Shit! I completely forgot about that! So _that's_ why he came here!_

"Not yet." He said, defeated.

"Well then, why don't you ask Inochi-san to go with you?"

"Oh, it's okay. You don't need to—"

"I insist!" He said, interrupting her. "Now that that's settled, I enjoyed your performance, Satoshi. Everyone did very well."

"Thank you." spat Satoshi.

"I'll see you both later tonight. Good bye!" He said, walking off. When he was out of sight, Satoshi turned to face Shizuka.

"Inochi-san, do you want to go?" He asked. He felt a little bad that his dad had to ask her for him.

"If you want to… I mean, he—"

"Don't worry about him—do _you _want to go?" He asked.

"Sure, but if you don't think…" She trailed off, looking behind Satoshi.

When he turned around, he saw…

"Ah, Hiwatari-kun! You did so great in the play!" Said Daisuke, enthusiastically.

"Err, Niwa-kun… Have you… looked in the mirror lately?" Said Satoshi, suppressing a smirk.

"No, why do you ask…?"

Shizuka held up a hand held mirror that someone in the cast had left behind. Daisuke had been able to get the stage make-up off, but that sharpie mustache…

"Oh my god! Saehara-kun…! He said it would wash out! I'll see you guys later!" He called, running towards the bathroom.

"I need to go care take of something… I'll pick you up at seven?"

…………………….

"Ah, hello Satoshi. Is something wrong?" Asked Kei from his desk.

"What do you think you're doing? Can't you just stop causing trouble for one minute?" Asked Satoshi, dully. He had come to see his father after the play.

"Trouble? I'm helping you make some friends! You need to socialize more—maybe this party will help."

'You see, Satoshi-sama? It's just for fun—nothing more.'

_Sure_

'You're being over-cautious. Paranoid. If you keep this up, it'll affect your health.'

"It would be nice if you could open up to me once in a while. We may have more in common than you think."

………7:25pm………..

"Wow—this place is amazing!"

"You think so? It's an old ballroom—this museum used to be a castle."

The party was in an old palace that was recently converted to a museum. They kept the ballroom exactly the way it was, though, and fixed the chandeliers and furniture so it would look the same as when it was still in use. The floor was off-white and the furniture was a dark cherry wood. The chandeliers were huge and lit up the entire room, and the curtains were deep purple.

"Come to think of it—what's being celebrated? The re-opening?" Shizuka questioned.

"Yeah. The renovations has taken eight years, since they asked world-class artists to design the room."

They walked through the hall, hand-in-hand, attracting the attention of a few police officers whom Satoshi commanded at work. Satoshi was in a black suit as usual, but decided not to put his hair back into that awful style his dad had wanted him to wear. Shizuka didn't have money or time to get a fancy dress like the other girls at the party were wearing, but she had a black, halter dress that went full-length down to her ankles. It was very tight, and had sequins along the neckline and down the side.

"A-are you sure it's okay for me to be here? Everyone else is so… professional. High-ranking." She said, looking around the room. There were a lot of people with badges on their suits or dresses, showing their rank. Satoshi hadn't worn his. Everyone else was older than them, naturally, and were sipping campaign and making small talk about the new museum. "Of course." He said, smiling at her. Before he could continue, Kei and the head of police (That guy in the wheelchair from the anime) started towards them. "Ah, glad to see you could make it!" Shouted Kei from across the room. Satoshi gave a slight bow to the head of police, and Shizuka followed suit from behind him.

"You remember my son, Satoshi." Introduced Kei. "And this is Inochi Shizuka, his date for the evening."

Shizuka bowed, murmuring a 'nice to meet you'.

A police man, over hearing, came over during the conversation. "Who would've thought that the commander has time for girls?" He asked, laughing. Satoshi gave him the deadliest glare he could.

"Nonsense! He's still a boy—16 now, right?" Said Kei, patting him on the shoulder.

Satoshi felt his blood boil with hatred—he just couldn't do anything about it. Instead, he snuck away when the adults began talking business, taking Shizuka with him. They went to the opposite side of the room, near the orchestra. There were a few couples dancing around them, and some out on the balcony. The orchestra consisted of four violins, two violas, two celli, and one double bassist. Behind them was a pianist at the old, newly re-stained grand piano. Surprisingly, there weren't that many people listening to the music or dancing—just a few older couples. Everyone seemed more interested in business and sucking up to the big-shots who gave them their pay checks. It was a shame, thought Satoshi, to have spent so much money and time re-furbishing the place and no one cared to admire or enjoy it.

Shizuka looked around the room in astonishment. The balcony was marble white, with plants hanging from the ceiling and vines growing neatly along the side of the building. There were some crystal sculptures in the corners of the balcony, and each step going down to the garden had a different plant on it. The garden was fabulous—trimmed trees and bushes, and more sculptures and fountains. What added the most to the scenery, however, were the light on the trees and in the fountains. It was like a scene from a fairy-tale.

"Wanna go see?" Asked Satoshi, motioning towards the garden.

"Yeah…"

He took her hand and led her down the marble steps, off the balcony. They were the only ones in the garden, since it was kind of chilly outside. They sat down on one of the benches around the central fountain—a unicorn—and Satoshi draped his jacket over her shoulders. The orchestra could still be heard from the garden, and had just started playing a concerto. Standing up, Satoshi held out a hand, silently asking her to dance. She accepted and took his hand, her head buzzing with emotions, probably from the _incredibly_ romantic atmosphere. Nighttime, Outside, Garden, Fountains, Art, Lights, Music—definitely the most romantic atmosphere she could think of.

He gently placed both hands on her waist, pulling her closer. She hesitantly moved a hand to his shoulder, leaving the other at her side. Satoshi started moving to the music, leading her around the garden. Somewhere during the song, he released one hand from her waist and took her free hand. She rested her head on his chest, bringing them closer. The music carried them around the fountain in circles, and Satoshi wrapped his other arm around her, half hugging her. When the music finally stopped, they stopped moving but stayed in their position. Shizuka lifted her head, looking at him, then let her eyes flutter shut. He moved to kiss her, but out of the corner of his eye he saw his father watching them from the window. He pulled away from her quickly, looking up at the window.

"What's wro--" Started Shizuka, turning to see what he was looking at. All she caught was Kei backing away from the window.

"Don't worry about it. It's getting late—you should probably get home soon." He said.

…………………….

After dropping her off, Satoshi headed back to his father's mansion—he had sent him a voicemail asking him to do so. He let himself in, flicking on the main lights. The entire house was dark—nothing new. He made his way upstairs to Kei's office, knocking on the door.

"Come in."

Satoshi took a few steps forward, closing the door behind him. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Nothing much. Just the usual. How is work going?"

"No better than usual." He answered dully. God, he _hated_ this man.

"Well, I'm, sure you'll do better the next time Dark sends out a warning. After all, you're running out of time, right? To save your girlfriend?"

"What do you know?" Snapped Satoshi. "This isn't your business."

"It _is_. I'm your father, remember? Now, I really don't see why you spend so much time with that girl. Isn't she going to die soon? It's a waste of your time, being with her. If you wanted a girlfriend, you could've picked someone—"

"Just shut up, okay! It's _not_ a waste, so don't you _dare_ say that!!" Satoshi shouted, slamming his already clenched fist on the desk.

_How can he _say_ that? A waste of _time_? That's… inhumane!!_

'Finally, someone sees this my way.' Sneered Krad.

"I'm not giving you a choice Satoshi—I'm just going to tell you. Stop hanging around that girl and focus on Dark!! You're wasting too much time! Tomorrow, break up with her. Do whatever it takes, but I don't want to see you with her again!!"

"But…"

"If you fail to do so, I'll have my ally within you take action." He said, holding up the all-to-familiar rutile. "Don't think you can meet in secret, either—I'll find out."

Satoshi just stared at him, not giving any response.

"I'm glad we're in agreement. You'll thank me someday—it's for the better. And, if you want my opinion, don't break it off easy. It'll only make things worse."

Satoshi briskly walked out of the room, shaking with anger.

_I don't get him. He invites her to that dance, then tells me to break up with her?!_

'You had better listen to your father, Satoshi-sama. I'll be watching.' He said, tauntingly.

………...Next day…………

It was raining. No, _pouring_. Shizuka walked as fast as she could through the rain, grasping an umbrella. She was running late, but in this weather, she doubted anyone would be on time. Running through puddles against the wind, she eventually reached the school. Like she thought, only half the class was there. Riku, Risa, Daisuke, and Takeshi were already there, but Satoshi's seat was still empty.

_That's weird… even in the rain, it's not like him to be late…_

…………………………….

Satoshi put off coming to school as long as he possibly could, using the rain as an excuse to leave later than usual. He really didn't want to go to school today, but was way to nervous of what Krad might do if he stayed home. He had decided to talk to her after class, after everyone else was gone. Every time he thought about it, though, he felt sick to his stomach. When he decided that he couldn't put it off any longer, he started out in the rain by foot. Taking one of his dad's cars would just make him feel worse.

When he walked in the classroom, he saw that not even the teacher was there yet, along with most of the class. The Haradas, Daisuke, and Shizuka were there, though, and were all talking in the back of the room. He quickly made his way to his seat—luckily they were all on the other side of the room. He passed up Shizuka on the way, not even looking at her. She reached a hand out to touch his arm, but her brushed her off and continued walking.

"H-hey, Hiwatari-kun…" She started, smiling. When he didn't even acknowledge her, however, her expression changed to worried.

Riku, who had seen, added, "What's up with him?" Daisuke had also noticed, but decided to talk to Satoshi later. A moment later the teacher bursted into the room, soaking wet. Every one went back to their seats, and Shizuka glanced over at Satoshi, who still hadn't lifted his head.

…………After Class……….

Ring!!! Class is out!

Everyone got up and stretched, recovering the long, boring lecture they had just barely survived. Then, after everyone had packed up and was starting to file out of the room, Satoshi touched Shizuka on the sleeve lightly.

"Can I talk to you?" He asked, his eyes averted.

"Of course." She said, and quickly finished packing up. When everyone else had left, Satoshi closed the door, and walked back to where she was standing.

"I-inochi-san… I don't think…" He swallowed "I think we should stop seeing each other."  
"W-what?" She asked quietly.

"You heard me. It would be better if we weren't together." His voice began to crack a little.

_I don't think I can do this…_

'Think of the consequences if you don't.' Said Krad, clearly enjoying the show. 'Break her heart. Rip it to shreds. Make her hate you, so she won't ever want to see you again. That way, she'll stay away—problem solved.'

With a sudden jolt of fear and energy, Satoshi looked up at her. "Don't you see?! It's a burden, having to constantly keep tabs on someone like this. And then, it's not even fun being with someone who's only weeks away from dying—it's a waste of time!"

She clutched the book she was holding, holding back tears. That last comment had hurt. "You said it didn't matter…"

"Obviously, I was lying!! I just felt sorry for you! How could it not matter—trying to have fun with a walking corpse?! You must be crazy!" He yelled, angry at himself.

'Great job—keep going.'

……………..

"Ah! I forgot my bag in the classroom!" Exclaimed Daisuke, who was walking home with Riku. "I'll be right back!"

Daisuke ran through the halls, almost slipping on the water left over from people's shoes. When he reached the classroom, he saw that the door had been shut. Then, he heard yelling coming from inside.

_Is that… Hiwatari-kun?_

………………….

"JUST GO AWAY, OKAY? I CAN'T EVEN STAND TO LOOK AT YOU ANYMORE!!"

Shizuka backed up a few steps, dropping the book she was holding.

Just then, the door slammed open, revealing Daisuke.

"HIWATARI-KUN!? I… I don't know what's going on, but you can't yell at her like that…!" He stepped inside the classroom and walked over toward them. "I don't know what's gotten into you today, but don't take it out on Inochi-san!"

"Why are you trying to get involved?!" Snapped Satoshi, still riled up from before.

Before Daisuke could answer, Shizuka backed up further.

"I'm so sorry…" She whispered, her voice failing her. She continued backing out of the classroom slowly, then ran.

"Hiwatari-kun—what have you done?! I thought you were starting to open up a little—why are you trying to isolate yourself again?!" Yelled Daisuke. He picked up his and Shizuka's bags, along with the book she dropped, and ran out of the room after her. Satoshi stayed frozen in the classroom, rain pouring in from the open window behind him. He made no move to close it as the water came in and drenched him.

………………

Shizuka ran out of the classroom, and let all the tears she had been holding back free. She ran around the corner and sat on the floor next to a desk that had been moved into the hallway. She covered her eyes with her hands, trying to stop the flow from coming. When she pulled them back, however, her hands were stained with tears. She sat with her head resting on her arms on the seat of the desk, sobbing.

_Of course… I should have realized—something like that would make anyone uncomfortable… I'm such an idiot!_

"Inochi-san?" Came a voice behind her. It was Daisuke. He dropped both bags and sat down next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She didn't want anyone to see her crying, so she leaned back against the wall, bringing her knees up to her chest. She kept her head down, covered by her arms and legs.

"It's my fault… everything he said was right…" she murmured, shaking. Before Daisuke could ask what he had said, another pair of footsteps was coming down the hall.

"Niwa-kun!" Called Riku from down the hall. "You didn't come back so I was wor—what happened?!" She exclaimed, when she saw Daisuke with Shizuka, crying.

"It's a long story…" He started, "But I don't even know all of it… Let's talk about it later. Right now, why don't we all go home?" He said, reaching for Shizuka's hand. He pulled her up, revealing her swollen eyes and stained face. Daisuke went to pick up their bags, while Riku started walking with her out the door.

"Why don't you stay at my place tonight? There's no school tomorrow, and Risa will be at a friend's. That sound good?"

Shizuka nodded in response. The three of them walked outside, while Satoshi watched from the doorway, heart-broken.

'I'd say that went over quite well, wouldn't you?' asked Krad.

AU: Well, this took forever to write because I kept getting sidetracked—sorry!!! Thanks to the people who reviewed the last chapter (you know who you are)! I hope the plot is finally picking up pace now. I actually added the dance on a whim a few chapters ago, if anyone remembers, so this chapter is another extremely long one! Happy Belated New Year, and please read and review!!!


	18. Missing You

I do not own DNAngel, Hana Yori Dango, Kimi wa Petto, Zettai Kareshi, Fruits Basket, or Death Note. If you want English translations of those, see bottom.

"Okay, so we have 'Hana Yori Dango', 'Kimi wa Petto', and 'Zettai Kareshi'. Which do you want to watch?" Asked Riku from the DVD cabinet in her house. Daisuke and Shizuka sat on the couch behind her. Daisuke obviously couldn't sleep over, but he would stay until later. "Oh, and Risa has 'Fruits Basket'—I'm sure she wouldn't mind us borrowing it… well?" Daisuke made no move to answer, so Shizuka just shrugged. Then Daisuke walked over to Riku, and whispered in her ear "Maybe we should pick something that focuses less on romance…"

"Oh, good idea! Actually, I think I have 'Death Note' upstairs—I'll go get it!" She said, running off. Daisuke walked back over to the couch, sitting next to Shizuka.

"Hey, Inochi-san? What exactly were you and Hiwatari-kun talking about earlier today? I-if you don't wanna talk about it, I understand…"

She stayed quiet for a while. "It was nothing, really. You can ask Hikari-kun about it, if you want." She replied, not even bothering to correct herself. _It's Hiwatari, now_, she thought. Suddenly, Daisuke had an idea.

"Y'know, on Monday, I think I_ will_ ask Hiwatari-kun about it—why don't you listen in? You can find out why he said all those things—it'll clear everything up!"

"You would do that…? I-is that okay?" She said, startled.

"Definitely! Right after class! You can hide in the next classroom—you should still be able to hear through the wall, since it's really thin."

"Found it!" Exclaimed Riku from atop the stairs.

"So we're watching Death Note…? That sure is… an interesting way to cope with something like this." Added Daisuke.

"It'll get her mind off of everything—this is really suspenseful!"

Riku popped the first disk in the DVD player, and played the first episode. Risa wasn't into Shounen anime, but even she had to admit it was an interesting show. All three of them were in agreement that they would skip the theme song, and once it came on, Riku and Daisuke were engrossed in it. Shizuka, on the other hand, was thinking about what Daisuke had said. She just couldn't picture Satoshi saying those things without a good reason—it didn't seem like he would do something because he 'felt sorry for them'. She resolved to take up Daisuke's offer and see if there was any deeper reasoning. Before she knew it, they had already finished disk one, and Riku was setting up disk two.

………………….

"You wanted to see me?" Said Satoshi from the doorway. His father had requested that he report to him that night, to talk 'business'.

"Yes—did you have a good day?" Asked Kei, in an attempt to strike up a father-son school day conversation.

"I had a _great_ day, father." He spat, putting extra emphasis on 'father'.

"Well, that's good!" Said Kei, not taking the hinted sarcasm. "And have you talked to your girlfriend?"

"_yes_."

"So I trust everything we talked about has been settled…?"

"_yes_."

"Splendid! That's all I wanted to talk about for now—we can do something together next weekend, if you want."

Satoshi walked out the door without answering.

'Why are you so upset, Satoshi-sama? Now you can enjoy your work without interferences…'

_Enjoy _work_? Are you joking? And _what_ interferences?_

'I'm sure you'll see things my way eventually.'

……………….

"Oh my god—no way! NO. FREAKIN'. WAY." Exclaimed Riku, her eyes glued to the TV. They were still in the middle of their Death Note marathon, eating take-out sushi on the floor. Daisuke's parents had called, and said he had to be back by midnight, so they had a couple of more hours together.

"Wait—can we rewind it? I think I missed something? Is that…" Started Daisuke, who had started getting into the show as well. Shizuka, on the other hand, was only half paying attention. Actually, the show did kind of remind her of Satoshi—not in a crazy, 'I'll use the death note to become the god of a new world' kind of way, but more of a 'police force commander' kind of way. _Anyway,_ two rolls of sushi and three disks later, it was time for Daisuke to go home.

……………………..

'Daisuke, are you really going to talk to Hiwatari?'

_Of course—I already promised Inochi-san I would-- I would have talked to him anyway, though._

'Just keep in mind that this is probably all Krad's fault. If he sees that Shizuka overheard, he'll be pissed.'

………………………

Shizuka went home the next day, still exhausted from the all-nighter at Riku's house. After Daisuke had left, they finished Death Note, and stayed up playing board games until they fell asleep. She still had work later that night, so she decided to go home and finish cleaning or something until then.

She was really grateful to Daisuke—she doubted she could get Satoshi to talk to her by herself. He had seemed absolutely fine the night before, until his dad showed up in the window. But still, he didn't really seem different when he walked her home. Her thoughts soon wandered to Krad, and why he was so eager to get rid of her. And Kei… he was so phony when she had first met him. She wasn't one to assume things from first impressions, but Kei had an uneasy presence about him—especially for Satoshi.

…………………...

Satoshi was lying on his bed staring at the ceiling. Specifically, a dot on the ceiling. In his hand was an old baseball that he had found lying in his yard (probably dropped by some elementary school kids). He threw the ball up at the dot, and it came right back down into his hand.

_What am I supposed to do when I see her on Monday? _

'Nothing. Just ignore her. Ignore all of them.'

_I wasn't talking to _you.

'Your other friends will probably hate you, too. Showing people the 'real you' just scares them away.' He cackled.

_Shut up, Krad! That wasn't the 'real me'! That was you and that stupid old man forcing me to destroy any happiness I had found in the past few weeks!_

'You've always been much happier on your own, haven't you? Indulge in the solitude.'

Satoshi threw the ball at the ceiling again. This time he missed, and it came down landing on the floor. He didn't feel like getting up, and his gaze fell on the digital clock next to his bed. 7:34PM.

_Inochi-san is probably at work now… _

'What of it?'

_I wonder if she'll be okay getting home tonight…_

'Yes. She'll be fine.' Said Krad monotonously.

_That molester from last time… she didn't even scream… If something like that were to happen again…_

Suddenly, Satoshi hopped up and grabbed a coat, along with a small pocket knife. Before he knew it, he was walking down the street towards downtown.

'I thought I made it clear that you can't see her.'

_I won't talk to her. I won't let her see me—I just want to be there in case something happens. _

Krad didn't reply. Satoshi walked for what seemed like forever, and reached her workplace by 9:46PM.

_Her shift is almost up…_

He stood off to the side, in the shadows in case she should turn around. Luckily, his coat was black, so he blended right in. He made sure to keep the hood up—blue hair could be a dead giveaway.

………………………..

After getting the usual housework done, Shizuka headed to work, where she continued to tune and repair all the instruments from their last shipment. Her boss was sick, and couldn't help out much, so Shizuka had twice as much work to do. When their last costumers for the day had left, Shizuka packed up her things, and headed outside, unaware of the boy watching from behind.

………………..

Satoshi stayed a block behind her at all times—if she happened to turn around, he could dodge into a near-by alley. Of course, this only made him look more like a stalker than ever. He kept his steps light, and repeatedly checked his hood to make sure none of his hair could be seen.

'I don't see why we have to do this—it's a waste of time' Complained Krad. 'What's the worst that could happen?'

Satoshi didn't answer, and kept on walking, watching out for any weirdos along the way. He suddenly remembered Miyamoto, who seemed to be getting a little too friendly for his tastes. _That _was the worst that could happen. His hands were in his pockets, and one held the pocket knife, ready for use at a second's notice.

In the end, Shizuka got home without running into any perverts or Miyamotos, so Satoshi could rest. He watched from the trees as she unlocked the door, and left when he saw that she was safe.

'What would you have said if she saw you following her?'

_Nothing. _

'That's not an acceptable answer. You know, I could tell your father about this…'

_All he said was that I can't talk to her—I'm not talking to her._ Retorted Satoshi, as he began walking back to his apartment.

……………..Monday at School……………

Shizuka walked in the classroom without glancing towards the window where Satoshi sat—she was much too afraid to see him. Instead, she stayed near Daisuke and Riku until the teacher came. Daisuke winked at her before she went back to her seat, telling her that he would put his plan into action after class. She reluctantly made her way towards her seat, keeping her eyes focused on the ground. Even then, she let her hair fall in front of her face, so that she couldn't see him.

………..

Satoshi sat with his book open, though he wasn't reading. Each time he started to try and read the text, he would lose his train of thought, so his eyes were reading but his brain wasn't putting together the sentences. Then, he would snap out of it, only to realize that he couldn't recall what had happened, so he'd start over from the top of the page again. He repeated this several times, to avoid looking over at Shizuka, who was sitting with Daisuke and Riku. Eventually, he decided that this page was boring, and he turned to the next, even though he had no idea what had just happened in the story. Oh well…

…………

Daisuke felt like an outsider. _Again_. He knew he shouldn't even be interfering with his friend's problems—it had nothing to do with him—but every time he remembered how happy Satoshi had looked around Shizuka, he couldn't help but think that he should help them out. As cold as Satoshi could be to people, he never went out of his way to yell at them—it was always a calm, collected let-down that made you feel really stupid for asking. At least, with his fan-girls it was. Even Dark was trying to talk him out of it, which struck him as odd since Dark was always pressuring him to butt into other people's private lives.

…….......................

Ring! Schools out!

Daisuke watched as all the other students, including Shizuka, packed up and filed out of the classroom. He had told Riku that he was staying after, and not to wait for him. He cautiously walked over to Satoshi, who was still packing up, and tapped his shoulder.

"Hiwatari-kun, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure." Sighed Satoshi. He had seen this coming.

…………..

Shizuka packed up quickly and headed to the next classroom while no one was looking. The classroom needed renovations, so it was currently unused. Daisuke made sure to unlock it before class so she could get in. Closing the door behind her, she quietly made her way over to the wall that separated this classroom and hers. It was really easy to hear, since the wall was so thin, and she was immediately able to pick out voices.

………….

"Why did you say all those things to Inochi-san yesterday? I thought you were starting to open up some more…"

_When will he understand that I _can't_ open up at all?_ Thought Satoshi.

"It's really none of your business…" He started.

"But there has to be a reason—I thought you really liked her!" Pressed Daisuke. He wouldn't let Satoshi leave the room until he talked.

"My father doesn't want me getting involved with her—he says that being with her is a waste of time… that it's too much of a distraction." He paused for a minute, then swallowed hard. "He said he would have Krad kill her if I talk to her again."

……………..

Shizuka sunk to the floor in shock. Satoshi's own father had told—no, _threatened_ him to do this? She knew Krad wanted to kill her—he made it clear several times, but she had no idea that his _father_ would get so involved. She thought of all the times Satoshi talked about his dad to her. He always seemed so tense and cautious, and repeatedly warned her about him. Things like these must be what he was talking about.

……………..

"Then, you didn't mean anything you said? You don't really hate her, do you?"

"No, I… I love her… so much… so that's why I have to keep her as far away from me as possible." He said, looking out the window.

"That's… not fair. Why should your dad have to get involved with something like this?" Asked Daisuke, worried. He still felt that it wasn't fair how much trouble the Hikari family had to go through. And now the Inochi family was being dragged in…he couldn't help but worry about both of them.

"Don't worry about it—it has nothing to do with you." He said, distantly.

…………………

Huddled in a ball with her ear pressed to the wall, Shizuka started to cry. Not sobbing or anything, just silent tears. She wasn't even sure what she was sad about, but the distance between them was tearing at her heart, and she wished she could just make it go away. Even though they were only 'apart' for a few days, she really missed having him there next to her, even if it was just walking down the hallway. When she heard that they had finished talking, she picked up her bag, and waited at the door for Daisuke to tell her that she could come out. If Satoshi saw that she overheard…

………………..

Everything made so much more sense now that he had talked to Satoshi—he was just worried that Krad might—no, _would_ kill her. Satoshi had left to go home, so Daisuke went back to get Shizuka from the classroom. When he got there, she was already by the door, waiting.

"Did you hear everything?" Asked Daisuke, excitedly. Despite everything, he was still happy for Shizuka that she was able to find out the truth.

"Yeah… thanks for letting me overhear…" She said sheepishly. They began walking down the hallway towards the exit.

"Hiwatari-kun must really like you—I don't think you have to worry about_ that_, but will you be okay with…"

"With… Krad?" She asked. She nodded, smiling weakly.

"I think that once we work out this curse, everything will return to normal!" Said Daisuke, reassuringly (Even though, in truth, he wasn't sure if the curse _would_ break.)

"Thanks again, Niwa-kun."

"Oh, it's no problem at all, really. Are you going home now?"

"Yeah, I'm just going to go—oh, I forgot something in the classroom! I'll see you tomorrow!" She said over her shoulder, walking back to the classroom.

"Okay, see you then!" called Daisuke.

………………

Satoshi was about to exit the building when he realized that he had left his bag in the classroom. He must've been in such a daze… He walked back to the classroom, picking up his bag like a drone, then walked right back out, his expression not changing in the slightest.

He began walking back to the entrance, taking the long way simply because he had time, until he crashed head on with someone while turning the corner. The person was shorter than him, and their head was down so he could see who it was at first. She apologized and bent down to pick up his bag, which had fallen when the collided, but when she looked up at him, he was met with a shocked expression.

"Inochi…-san?"

She stood up straighter, and held out the bag, which he reluctantly took. She felt herself blushing, even under the worst circumstances.

"I'm so sorry—I wasn't watching where I was going…" She said hurriedly, walking past him briskly. He caught her by the hand before she was out of his reach, and she stopped walking. He tried to think of something to say to her… _anything_ to say, but no words came out of his mouth. He just felt like he should say _something._

'Have you forgotten our deal, Satoshi-sama?' Warned Krad.

Satoshi slowly released her hand, and stayed frozen in his spot, watching her. She almost turned around to face him when he let go, but thought better of it and began walking again. Part of her wished that he had said something, even though she knew he couldn't.

He tried calling out to her, but once again, he couldn't speak. Instead, he watched as she got farther and farther away from him, then turned the corner so he couldn't see her anymore. He couldn't help but wonder if this was foreshadowing the rest of their relationship. That thought made him very sad. And regretful.

……………………..

Author: So, what do you guys think??? I didn't get ANY feedback for the last chapter—and people read it!!! (You can review anonymously, so if you don't have an account, that's no excuse) By the way, 'thanks' to the last person who reviewed anonymously—I usually PM people who reviewed, but since you don't have an account, I couldn't (and I forgot to write this in the last chapter.) Anyways, you should make an account!!!

As for the dramas in the beginning, 'Hana Yori Dango' means 'Boys over Flowers', and it's the GREATEST DRAMA EVER, which means you should all watch it! 'Kimi wa Petto' is 'You're my Pet', and that one is also reaalllly cute. 'Zettai Kareshi' I haven't got around to watching yet, but I read a few chapters. That's 'Absolute Boyfriend'. Let's see… 'Fruits Basket'… I think everyone reads that, and 'Death Note' is this amazing suspense anime—go watch. I purposefully didn't spoil anything—it's a sin to spoil it!

_Now, this is the part where you yell at the author for writing too much and tell her to make her notes shorter. In other words, review!_


	19. Taking a risk

I do not own DNAngel or Risk

"Ooh, only two more days until Valentine's Day!" yawned Riku at the end of class. It was a Wednesday, which meant that Valentine 's Day would fall on a Friday this year. Of course, this also meant that the cutest boys in school would be getting attacked by mobs of girls with chocolate, but otherwise, it was always an easy school day. They didn't even have to do work—their teacher always let them play games instead.

"Are you and Daisuke going anywhere after school?" Asked Shizuka. Risa had found herself a date, since she absolutely refused to be by herself that day. Rumor had it that she would dump him afterwards if she didn't like him, though. Even Takeshi had gotten himself a date, so that left Satoshi and Shizuka as the only single people in their little group.

"Yup—we're going ice skating! I'm a little worried, though—Daisuke doesn't seem like the type who would be able to—"

"HEY, HIWATARI!!" Shouted Takeshi from across the room. Satoshi gave him a passing glare that told him to shut up, but Takeshi must have missed it. "I bet you're excited for Friday—all the girls are bound to have gotten you chocolate!!!!"

Satoshi continued his path to the back of the room, ignoring al the attention Takeshi had drawn, and took a seat. It had been exactly nine days, six hours, and thirty-seven minutes since he had broken up with Shizuka (but hey, who's counting?), and he really wasn't in the mood for Valentine's Day. Not that he ever _was_, but he had been hoping this year would be different.

Daisuke, who had been trying to help out on both sides of the situation, was frustrated at how distant they seemed towards each other now. It was as if they had never met—and it was actually kind of uncomfortable. He had been working on finding a way around Krad for them to be together, but so far he had… nothing. He tried asking Satoshi if he had thought of anything, but with Krad constantly overhearing, it was kind of hard to talk about (even though Krad would know right away if Satoshi was planning anything). To make things worse, Valentine's Day was in two days, and he felt even worse knowing that he and Riku would be together, but not Satoshi and Shizuka.

Risa, Riku and Shizuka began packing up, and met with Daisuke who was waiting for them by the door. Satoshi had stopped walking home with them. They were about to walk out together when suddenly, Shizuka got an idea.

"Uh, guys? I need to go get something—I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Oh, okay." Said Riku. She and Risa began walking towards the door. Daisuke lagged behind, however, and when Takeshi caught up with them and began annoying the girls, he snuck away to follow Shizuka.

…………………

Satoshi was on cleaning duty today. After everyone had left, he sighed and picked up the eraser from the chalkboard. He performed his usual routine of clapping them outside the window, then washing the chalkboard with soapy water and a sponge. He was so wrapped up in thought, however, that he didn't realize he was cleaning the same spot for five minutes. He had been doing things like that a lot lately.

Currently, he was adding up the amount of time that had passed since Christmas.

_At Christmas it was two months… January, February…_ Satoshi gasped and nearly dropped the sponge. _Only a week and a half left!? _

'You should be relieved. All this worrying is going to affect your health. Once it's all over, you won't have anything to worry about anymore.'

…

Obviously, Satoshi had been aware of the short time span that Shizuka had left, but it hadn't really sunk in until now. He had been trying as hard as possible to stop Dark from stealing the artworks, but all his efforts weren't enough and, if he didn't act soon, would be for nothing. He had actually thought he could do it, and probably wasn't as worried as he should have been before. Now, he felt sick with fear that he only had a little over a week to find some way to save her, and that he hadn't made any progress. He felt a wave of nausea wash over him, and put the sponge down. He dropped to the floor clumsily, and rested against the radiator for support.

_I'm so stupid… instead of sitting here sulking I should be researching a way to stop it… _

Just then, Shizuka opened the door and flicked on the lights. Satoshi rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't sleeping. Sure enough, she was walking towards him. He felt another wave of nausea hit him and slowly moved to stand up.

………………………

Shizuka gasped when she saw Satoshi huddled in a ball in the corner. He looked really tired and beat-down, and he didn't even move at first when she walked in. She dropped her bag off by the door and walked towards him, partially expecting him to be suffering from his low-blood-pressure. When he stood up, she stopped walking. He looked at her for a few seconds, then looked away and said in a quiet voice, "What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you. I—"

"I already said I didn't want to see you again." He said, in a slightly sharper voice.

"Stop it, Hikari-kun. I heard what you said to Niwa-kun-- I was listening the entire time."

This got his attention immediately, and he looked up at her in surprise.

"You heard what I said?" He asked, half hopeful and half fearful.

"I need to talk to you."

"I should go—" He started, walking past her. Krad had given him a few warning snickers, telling him to snap out of it.

"I want to make a bet with Krad." She said, grabbing his sleeve so he couldn't walk away. He froze for a minute, then turned around.

"No." He said simply. Inside, Krad was laughing.

'What did she say? She wants to make a bet with me? Let me talk to her, Satoshi-sama."

_No—you'd hurt her. _

'I won't even touch her. I just want to talk to her. After all, she was talking to _me_, not _you._'

Daisuke, who had been eavesdropping, decided to jump in. He transformed into Dark quickly and let himself into the classroom without a word. Krad, who was even more worked up now that Dark had decided to show, forced his way out of Satoshi. Dark pulled Shizuka backwards as Satoshi fell to the floor and wings began sprouting from his back. He felt the familiar hot, searing pain, followed by Krad pushing him aside and taking over.

"Now…" He said, rising. "What was that you were saying about a bet…?"

Dark stood between her and Krad, one arm extended as a wall.

"Shizuka, you shouldn't make deals with this guy—he'll just twist your words and you'll end up with nothing." He warned, shooting Krad a dirty glare.

"On the contrary, I'm rather true to my word." He said, smirking. "What is it you had in mind, Inochi-san? What are we wagering?"

"If I win, then you have to call off the deal you made with Hikari-kun. He'll be able to do whatever he wants without you standing in his way." She said, unwaveringly.

"Fair enough." He said, still smirking. "And if you lose?"

"If I lose…then you can kill me right away."

………………………

Satoshi froze in shock.

'W-What did she say?' He asked, still in doubt that he had heard correctly.

_You heard her. If I win, I get to kill her. I think it's pretty fair. Although, it's not like she has much of a life to wager on… _He continued, mostly to himself.

'You can't agree to this!'

…_but the look on your face when she's gone by _your _hands will all be worth it,_ He decided.

……………………

Dark was disgusted at this bet. He lowered his hand and turned towards Shizuka in disgust. Krad let out a small laugh, and Dark walked out of the room, completely disappointed and sickened at the bargain they were making.

'Dark, what are you doing? She's in there with Krad, you have to go back and—'

_If she's just gonna start bartering away her life like that, then it's not worth my time._ He said coolly, clenching his fists.

………………

"Alright. You have yourself a deal, Inochi-sama." He said in mock-respect. "As for the challenge, I think I have something in mind. If Satoshi-sama can protect Dark's next target without my help, then you win. However, if he calls for me, or if Dark gets the artwork, then I win. You'll have to be there, too, of course."

"Can I help him?"

"I don't have any problem with that. He'll probably need it." He said, smugly.

'Krad! Don't let her do this!!! Tell her that I don't want her to!'

"Satoshi-sama would rather you not make this deal." He said, giving Satoshi the smallest of says in the matter. However, Shizuka ignored his plea completely.

"Until the challenge, Satoshi should be free from the prior deal." She added, trying to get as much from this as possible.

Krad thought for a minute, then nodded in agreement. "I'll give you that, because I'm feeling generous." He said slyly. "Is there anything else?"

Shizuka shook her head 'no' in reply, and Krad took her hand and kissed it lightly, sealing the deal. He then gave her a slight bow before giving Satoshi control once more. He fell to his knees, breathing heavily. Shizuka sat down next to him, and put a hand on his shoulder. Only then did she notice the tear drop sliding down his cheek. His head snapped up revealing a mixture of worry and disbelief; pain and love.

"What were you thinking?!" He half shouted at her. "Are you crazy?!"

He grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to him, holding her tightly. One arm was wrapped around her back, and his other hand was running through her hair. She rested her head in his neck, not even bothering to answer any of the complaints.

"What kind of a bet is that?! What did you think would come out of it?!" He said, pulling her closer. "Do you have any idea what will happen if we lose? He won't hesitate to kill you—he's been waiting for this! And do you have any idea how I would feel if you just died like that?!" He said, not giving her any time to answer. He pulled away a little bit to look at her, but unlike him, her face was totally calm and serene. He lifted a hand up to her face, stroking her cheek.

"So?" He whispered, "Why'd you do it?"

"I… don't know. I just didn't want to have to stay away because of some deal." She answered.

"But what if we don't wi—"

She cut him off by pressing her lips against his lightly, catching him off-guard. He closed his eyes and forgot about his complaints—it had been so long since he had even _talked_ to her, let alone _kiss_ her. He pulled her back to him, his arms wrapped around her waist and shoulders, and let himself melt into the kiss.

………………

Dark stood outside the school, watching through the window. Despite Daisuke's protests to stay, he couldn't stay and listen to two people wagering lives. Just thinking of what would happen if Krad won disgusted him. He would, without a doubt, destroy her in the most painful way possible, then place all the blame on Satoshi, who would probably never leave his house again. Dark wouldn't be able to help feeling responsible, too. And what was most sickening of all was how calmly she had put her life on a cutting board, and given Krad the knife. Even if they did win, Krad could just kill her anyway. Nothing would stop him from getting what he wanted.

Hearing the deal being made, though, he decided that Krad definitely wouldn't win—not if he could do anything to stop it.

………………………

"You know… you really _are_ crazy." Satoshi said, helping her up.

"Maybe." She said, smiling.

"And… well, I… b-before, when we were… apart? I really missed you." He said, turning away to hide the blush that was starting to form.

"I've missed you, too."

"A-and, for everything I said to you… I'm really _really_ sorry—I didn't mean any of it, and—"

"I know." She cut in. "It's okay."

He smiled at her—something she hadn't seen in over a week. The longest week of her life.

"So, can I expect to have a date this Saturday?" He asked casually, taking her hand and leading her outside.

"Well… that all depends…"

"On what?"

"On what you're willing to wager."

………St. Valentine's Day………

"Also, please be considerate of your classmates' personal space and property, and try to keep your voice at a low and calm—"

"YES!!!!" Shouted Takeshi, interrupting his teacher. He punched his fist into the air, which was holding up a game boy.

"That being said..." murmured the teacher monotonously, "Enjoy you're day off."

The class was in an uproar. Their teacher had given them a free day to do whatever they wanted as long as they stayed in the classroom. There was, of course, endless PDA, chocolate, and paper hearts with cut out designs. For Daisuke and the gang, however, there was a tournament.

A Risk tournament.

"Why Risk? Of all board games, why this one?" Asked Riku.

"Because!!! It's a game of strategy and world-domination! The ideal game for a day off!"

"Whatever you say, Saehara-kun…" Said Daisuke.

He, Takeshi, Riku, Risa, Satoshi, and Shizuka were all sitting around a desk which the Risk board had been placed on. (And if you want to see what the game is about, see bottom). Everyone took turns claiming their countries, and from the looks of it, Takeshi had already spread himself out thin.

"It's strategy!" he had exclaimed.

"It's stupid…" Muttered Satoshi, who was accumulating his armies in concentrated areas.

After the game got started, Takeshi had indeed been surrounded and nearly defeated, and Risa wasn't too far off either. Instead of actually trying to gain territory, she was trying to gain _Takeshi's_ territory, and neither of them knew when it was time to stop their turn. Riku and Daisuke were both strong in Asia, Europe, and Australia, While Satoshi was near Africa and South America, and Shizuka was up in North America.

"Hey—you've been attacking me the entire time!" Said Takeshi to Satoshi. "That's no fair! Attack _her_—she's right on your border!" He said, pointing to Shizuka.

"No, Saehara—he can't attack his _giiirrrlllfriieeend_! That'd be mean!" Said Risa at the top of her lungs.

Takeshi gave them a smug smile. "That's right—that would be i_mproper_ of a gentleman!"

Satoshi proceeded to roll the dice, fighting back a blush, and decided to take Takeshi off the map for good.

"_Actually_, Saehara," He started, handing him the white defense dice, "you just put your territories where ever Harada-san put hers. That wasn't _strategy_, it was _foolish_." He rolled a five and two sixes, crushing Takeshi's one, three, and four. Takeshi murmured something censored under his breath and took all his remaining armies off the map. Satoshi gave Shizuka a quick smile and took her hand from under the desk.

Daisuke was next off the map, defeated by the almost unwilling Riku, who had no choice but to attack Daisuke if she wanted to get ant farther. Shizuka was wiped out by Riku afterwards, and Riku and Satoshi battled it out in Europe and Asia. Eventually, though, Satoshi came through as the winner, eliminating Riku's armies one by one.

"So, are you and Inochi-san coming ice skating with us?" Asked Daisuke while they were packing up.

"I think so…" He said. "But is that okay with you? Are you sure you wouldn't rather be alone with Harada-san…?"

"Of course! We've wanted to double date for so long now—it's going to be fun!" He exclaimed, a huge smile on his face. He never thought the day would come when he double-dated with Satoshi. "Besides, Riku-san already organized the whole thing!" He said sheepishly. "She's really into this whole double-dating thing."

One the other side of the room, Riku and Shizuka were putting away the game board and discussing their plans for that evening.

"So we'll all meet at the ice rink at five thirty. Then, we can go get something to eat around dinner. After that, I guess we'll go our separate ways," Said Riku.

"That sounds great—I just hope Hiwatari-kun can ice skate…"

"Aw, he can do anything. By the way, what made you two get back together?"

"Oh, it was all just a misunderstanding." She said smoothly, just as she had rehearsed it in her head. "So did you get anything for Niwa-kun?"

"Of course! I found this pendant at a thrift shop—it's really cool. I just hope he doesn't think jewelry is too girly or anything…"

"I think that's really sweet!"  
"_Sooo?_ What did_ you_ get Hiwatari-kun???" She asked, with a mischievous smile.

"W-well, I just—"

"Riku-san! Inochi-san!!" Called Daisuke. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, we'll be right there!" Called Riku. She picked up her bag and walked over to join them, Shizuka following suit. The four of them walked out, each couple hand-in-hand, and for the fist time in a while, everything seemed alright.

AN: Hey everyone—it's been a while! Sorry this took so long to get up—I was lazy. So, I think that having Shizuka make this bet will flesh out her character a little bit more (or at least give her more of a personality. Sometimes I feel like she isn't… exciting enough. Well, she isn't.). Also, I needed some way they could get back together without getting rid of Krad's shadow over them, and without making a total sappy kind of story where Krad decides to just forget about the whole thing and everyone's happy. And having Satoshi make a bet with Krad wouldn't do anything to make Shizuka more 3-D. So, yeah. That's my logic. Oh, thank you loyal reviewers!!! This chapter was for you!!!!! Have a Happy Valentine's Day, in case I don't get the chapter up in time.

Risk: So, basically, it's a game of world domination. You have this big map, and you get little wooden squares (armies) and place them on the territories you want. Then, everyone takes turns with the attack dice (red) and can attack anyone they want (so long as the borders of the territories touch), who will defend with the white dice. You can look up how to play—it's complex and I won't get into details. All you have to know is that 'spreading your armies thin' means that you attacked too much, and since you must always have at least one army on your territories, you lost whatever battles you started and are left with weak nations. It's a lot of fun to play—just make sure you play with a lot of people. It's boring when you only have two.


	20. Common Interests

I do not own DNAngel

_Special Valentine's Day prices—only $6.50 per person._

_Rental Skates are free for students_

_ Open all day until 7:00PM_

"Wow—they look a little desperate." Said Riku, as they approached the ice skating rink. It was completely empty. Everyone had gone over to the new movie theater around the corner, so the old ice rink was forgotten. They would be the only skaters that night.

"This is kind of cool, though! We get the whole rink to ourselves." Said Shizuka, pulling out her student ID. Satoshi and Daisuke were paying for the tickets, much to the girls' annoyance. _Girls_ were supposed to treat _boys_ on Valentine's day—not the other way around. When they explained this to said boys, however, they gave them blank stares and continued to pay for the tickets, as if they had no idea what they were talking about.

The four of them handed their student IDs to the guy at the rental skates counter and told him their sizes one-by-one. As Shizuka had guessed, Satoshi wasn't one to go ice-skating regularly, so he didn't know how. She, Riku, and Daisuke did, though, which made _him_ the student that day.

"I never thought the day would come where _I_ would get to teach _you _something, Hiwatari-kun!" Said Daisuke. Riku was tying his laces (if you've never ice skated before, it's really hard to get them on by yourself.), while Satoshi was tying Shizuka's.

Krad snickered. 'True, but at least _you _were off at college doing something _useful_.'

Satoshi decided not to retaliate—he was in a relatively good mood as far as Krad was concerned. Until the next time Dark sent a warning notice, Krad would have to stay out of his way.

Riku finished tying Daisuke's laces, and they went off to the rink, leaving Satoshi and Shizuka at the benches. Satoshi finished tying her laces and the two of them made their way across to the rink, hearing either Riku or Daisuke fall. As soon as they walked inside, they felt the temperature drop reasonably, and saw Daisuke and Riku on the other side of the rink, already on the ground after falling backwards.

"Are you sure you guys know how to do this right?" Asked Satoshi, motioning to the other couple.

"Yeah—they seem fine now…" She said, followed by a few attempts on Daisuke's part to get them up. He grasped the side, which had no rail, and held his hand out to Riku. She took it, but slipped on her way up, bringing both of them down again. Taking in Satoshi's blank expression, she waved it off, and began dragging him into the ice rink.

"It's really not all that bad—you have to try it!"

She stepped inside, then skated about two feet away from the entrance, giving Satoshi room to get in. He held onto the side for support, and carefully stepped in, one foot at a time. Almost as soon as he let go of the side, he began losing balance. Shizuka reached out and grabbed his arm to try to keep him from falling, and they both started slipping. Satoshi wrapped an arm around her waist and made sure he went down first. She landed on his chest, with his arms still around her. Shizuka raised her head, which was in the crook of his neck, blushed ferociously when she realized what position they were in. Before she could get up, though, she heard an all too familiar voice from behind.

"Oh my--what _are _you two up to?" Said Takeshi in a sing-song voice.

_Shit Shit Shit _

'Caught again.' snickered Krad.

"Just can't keep your hands off her, can you Hiwatari?" He said, smirking.

Shizuka jumped up, Satoshi following after her. Both were blushing, and pleading for someone else to say something. "It really wasn't—" Started Shizuka.

"S-saehara! What are you doing here? I thought you had a date with someone." Said Daisuke, trying to save them from the manic reporter.

"Oh, I was bored of the movie, so I left. I think she stayed."

"He ditched her there?" exclaimed Riku.

"No one ever said Saehara was loyal or dedicated…" Said Daisuke.

Since the date part of the day had come to an end the second Takeshi stepped foot into the rink, the five of them decided to go out for sushi. There was a cute little restaurant that was family owned and almost always empty, and they had a small traditional garden in the back. Since it was a holiday, they had lanterns up and all the fountains in the garden on. When they got there, Takeshi spotted a waitress that he deemed 'sexy', and went off to hit on her. That left the couples alone (finally) in the garden, where Daisuke led Riku over to a water fall. Satoshi took Shizuka's hand and led her around the walkway to a tree with lanterns hanging all around it.

"Inochi-san, Dark has sent a warning notice… for tomorrow." He said carefully. He took both her hands in his. "I'm… nervous. There's never been so much at stake before." He admitted, in a whisper.

"I'm sure we'll do fine…" She said, unconvincingly.

"But if we don't?" Satoshi dropped her hands and sighed in regret, turning away from her. "I should never have let you make that deal…"

"I would have made it anyway. And you already said you didn't approve of it." She said firmly. Satoshi didn't budge, so she pulled him back to face her. His blue eyes were that of a child—pleading and afraid. "It's okay…" She said more gently. "Everything will turn out okay." She whispered, in a sincere tone. He brought a hand up to her face, stroking her cheek lightly. "I hope you're right." He said finally.

Shizuka reached into her pocket and pulled out a long silver chain with a pendant of a cross and a sword. She handed it to Satoshi, avoiding eye contact. "This is for you… it's a good luck charm" She finally managed to say. "It's supposed to repel selfish magic…"

Satoshi looked down at the pendant in his hand. Around it was a different air—real magic. He tilted her chin up to meet his gaze and smiled at her. "I can't imagine where you find things like these." He said, moving his hand behind her head to stroke her hair. "Thank you—this… means a lot." He said, understating the value he now held it the pendant.

……………...Next Night at museum……………

Satoshi stood in a small room with no windows or doors other than the one main entrance—a small bolted door. Behind him was a pink pearl—10 inches in diameter, enclosed in a glass case. He didn't have the dark magic staff with him, since Shizuka was in the corner of the room, and would be there the entire time. He would be winning or losing this battle without his father's 'help'. He glanced at his watch, which read 11:58PM. Two more minutes. He was afraid to look back at Shizuka, for fear the pearl would be stolen while he wasn't looking. He clutched the pendant he now wore around his neck, and glanced at his watch again. 11:59.

…………………..

'Dark, what are we going to do?' Asked Daisuke on the way to the museum.

_We're going to ruin Krad's plan. I can't help it if I overhear something, and I certainly can't sit around and let Krad have his way. _

'But how, Dark?' Pressed Daisuke. He was tired of Dark being able to see his thoughts, and not vice versa.

_Watch and see, _he said, keeping up the suspense.

Dark climbed into the museum through the rooftop entrance and jumped into the hallway unseen. He stealthily made his way over to the bolted door at the end of the hall, and flipped open the keypad to hack the code. In a matter of seconds, he had the door open and the emergency lights flicked on.

Satoshi braced himself and stood defensively in front of the podium. Dark smirked and made a long jump, landing between Satoshi and the Pink Pearl. He made a grab for the pearl, quickly, but still slow enough for Satoshi to throw him out of the way. Dark feigned surprise and jumped back up, pulling out a feather and firing a simple spell which threw Satoshi backwards.

'Dark, I thought you were going to help them!'

_I am. But I can't make it too obvious. _

Satoshi got up, clenching his stomach, and threw some magic of his own towards Dark, trying to get him handcuffed. Dark purposefully pretended to try and get away, but made sure he got hit.

Shizuka stood in the corner of the room in the shadows, anxiously waiting for the end of the battle. The last few minutes were the most nerve-racking moments in her life, and she could barely breathe. Satoshi had wanted her to stay out of the battle and not get involved, but she couldn't help but bring her own magic with her, no matter what Satoshi said. She had a small glass ball that, when broken, would cancel out any selfishly used magic; similar to the pendant she gave Satoshi.

Dark smiled to himself and decided to put his plan into action. He stepped back a little bit, showing his cuffed hands, and put on the most conceited look he could manage while cuffed.

"Well, it looks like you're doing a better job of capturing me than your other half is, right Commander?" He said pleasantly. Satoshi didn't say anything, keeping his watch on Dark for any sneaky moves.

"And here I thought I was better off fighting you than him. Why, he isn't even showing tonight, is he? Starting to lose his sense of adventure? Or confidence, perhaps?"

'What did he say, Satoshi-sama?'

"I knew the white wings were never as daring as their tamers. It's always been this way, you know."

'Is he calling me a coward? He's going to regret saying this, the bastard.'

Dark sighed. "No wonder he can never protect any of the artworks I steal. He relies to heavily on magic and less on hand-to-hand combat. I guess real fighting isn't for everyone, is it?"

_What is he trying to do? _

'Let me at him—I'll make him pay for insulting the White Wings!'

Krad started to force his way out of Satoshi, starting an internal struggle for control. Satoshi fell to the floor, clenching his fists in pain.

"Krad! ...No!"

'We have a more respectable history than he does—how dare he say such things!!"

"S-stop! Krad…! Don't come out…" gasped Satoshi. He was huddled on the floor in pain. Dark effortlessly broke the handcuffs and stood back, watching everything go according to plan.

Satoshi, who now had wings sprouting from his back, looked up to see Shizuka running towards him. Dark glanced her way, and restrained her from getting too close to Satoshi.

"Get out of here…! Don't come any clos—ah!!"

"You heard him." Called Dark, over his shoulder.

Krad won control as Satoshi's energy died down, and stood up elegantly to face Dark and Shizuka. His white wings spread their entire span, and he had in his hand a glowing white feather.

"Shizuka, I said to get back!" Ordered Dark. She still didn't move, refusing to let Krad intimidate her. She readied the glass orb she had in the pocket, grasping it tightly. Krad began throwing spell after spell at Dark, moving forward each time. Dark held up a black feather, but Krad easily threw it aside.

"You have some nerve, Dark Mousy." he said, firing another spell.

"Are you implying that what I said _wasn't _true?" Said Dark cockily. He easily dodged all the magic attacks Krad threw at him. Finally, Krad had Dark backed up against a wall, and readied a large bolt of white energy in his right hand. Dark looked around, spotting his feather on the floor all the way on the other side of the room. Shizuka quietly made her way over to Dark's feather without Krad seeing. He was so caught up in rage that he failed to remember the deal they had. Shizuka picked up the feather and took out the glass orb she was hiding. As soon as Krad's spell left his hand to hit Dark, she threw the orb on the ground. It shattered into tiny, glistening pieces, and a bright white light filled the room, forcing everyone to squint their eyes. The sound of the glass breaking echoed throughout the room, and when the light died down and Krad realized his spell had been canceled, he turned around angrily. Dark took his opportunity to get out of Krad's reach.

Krad turned his attention to Shizuka, and began a slow walk towards her. Instead of backing up, she stayed where she was.

_Krad, stop it!_ pleaded Satoshi. _We can re-do this some other time!_

"I'm sick of you getting in my way." He growled, readying another spell. When he tried to fire it at her, though, it just dissolved into thin air.

"What?! What did you do?!"

Dark gave a confident laugh from the other side of the room. He walked over to Shizuka, taking advantage of Krad's shocked state, and took his feather from her.

"I'm afraid that any selfish magic you had intended to use tonight will be canceled out, right Shizuka?" He said, glancing over at her.

"Now… you've lost for tonight. I believe the deal was that if Satoshi called for you to come out and protect the Pearl, then you'd win. However, he did not. You came out on your own accord, and that means that Shizuka wins."

Krad looked taken aback for a moment, then glared at Dark. "How did you know about this? Eavesdropping?"

"I simply did what_ any_ gentleman would do." He said, taking a bow. "You lose, so let the commander out. You can't harm Shizuka."

Krad was at a loss for what to say, and was immensely frustrated at being made a fool of. When he saw Dark holding the feather, he reluctantly gave Satoshi control. He dropped to the floor, panting. Dark moved out of the way, letting Shizuka go to Satoshi. She kneeled down next to him.

"We… we won?" He breathed, looking up at her.

She smiled at him, taking his hand. "Yeah. We had a lot of help." She said, glancing to Dark. Satoshi looked at him, this time gratefully rather than enviously.

"Thanks, Dark." He said, reluctantly. "I guess this means I owe you."

"No, not at all. I did this to get back at Krad for breaking that artwork a while back. Don't let it get you down." He smirked. "Although, if _Shizuka_ wants to pay me back, then—"

"Don't count on it." snapped Satoshi. Shizuka let out a small laugh as she watched them continue to argue.

"And don't think this means I'll let you escape every time just because you helped us."

"Of course not—that'd make us friends." Retorted Dark.

"The same goes for this artwork." Said Satoshi, standing up.

"You're going to fight with me _now_? While you can hardly stand?"

"Hikari-kun, just leave it. It doesn't matter—"

"Whether of not _you _care, it matters to _me._" He said. "I don't want him to seal that artwork."

Shizuka sighed. She was satisfied with winning the bet—she couldn't care less whether or not Dark got the artwork. Luckily, Dark was in no mood to fight.

"You know, most people would have the decency to just hand it over at times like these. I _did _just save your girlfriend's life, after all."

"You don't understand why I can't do that."

Dark laughed. "Fine. Whatever. I guess if I took it, Krad could still say that he wins the bet. That wouldn't be any fun." He made his way over to the door. "I'll see you in a couple of days, Commander."

After Dark left, Satoshi leaned back against a wall in relief. Shizuka walked over to him and hugged him around the waist. Satoshi stood up straighter and returned the embrace as the police force poured into the room, taking in the damage and broken glass.

AN: Sorry everyone! I know I haven't updated this story in a while, but during the past month, I modified the plot a lot for the future chapters. I had a lot of trouble trying to figure out how I could have them win the bet without it being so cut-and-dry, so this is what I came up with. Please review and tell me what you think! I hope this chapter was worth the wait!

By the way, there's a poll on my profile—I'd appreciate it if you guys could spare a few seconds to take it!


	21. Blackmail

I do not own DNAngel

_Tonight at eleven o'clock, I will steal the Crystal Music Box_

_~Dark_

Satoshi was crouched on the floor in the middle of the room, looking up at Dark, who was holding a delicate box with gems and gold coins framing the lid. Satoshi was wearing a black trench coat with deep inside pockets, which held the golden staff that he resented so much. Dark smirked down at him, staying only two feet out of reach to taunt him. Looking up at Dark with the artwork, and knowing he had the staff with him, he felt a pang of guilt.

"That all you got, Commander?"

Satoshi sighed, cursing in his mind. He reached into a smaller pocket, and grasped onto a small pocket knife.

'Are you going to use the staff, Satoshi-sama?'

_I don't really have a choice if I'm going to get that artwork back, do I?_

Dark stayed in his smug position, unaware of Satoshi's plan. Meanwhile, Satoshi took out the pocket knife, still keeping it hidden in his jacket, and made a sudden jump backwards. Dark flinched in surprise, and took a few steps back as well. In a matter of three seconds, Satoshi pulled out the knife and made a small slice on his arm where the other scar was still healing. Upon feeling the blood run down his arm, he dropped the knife and pulled out the staff, which started glowing as soon as he made contact with it. Dark looked around the room for a speedy exit, and backed up to the other side of the room, scowling. He spotted a window, and quickly started towards it. The staff lit up and a wind started to circulate slowly in the room. Then, in a sudden burst of energy, winds as strong as a hurricane began blowing, and the artwork was pulled from Dark's hands violently while he was almost out. He didn't want to risk going back inside, so he listened to Daisuke's pleading and left through the window. It flew to the floor on Satoshi's side of the room, but the winds kept blowing. Satoshi, who was still holding the staff, had his eyes closed as the air whipped around him violently. The blood from his arm was also being carried by the wind, fueling it. After a few minutes, though, his hands started to shake and the loss of blood began hitting him. He dropped the staff and instinctively covered his arm where the blood had been draining. It was still leaking heavily, and the cut had opened more during the procedure. It was about three inches long now. Satoshi looked over to the side where the box had fallen. It was safe for now, but there was no doubt in his mind that Dark would come back to get it another time.

'Excellent—your father would be proud.'

Satoshi didn't answer, and instead made his over to the box, placing it back inside it's case. The police started filing into the room, their mouths gaping when they saw the same room even more damaged than last time. They eyed their commander suspiciously, none of them daring to ask what had happened. Satoshi gave them a passing glare as he exited the room, and they snapped out of their trance and started cleaning up. Some of them followed Satoshi out to go tell the detective that the artwork was safe, when they noticed the gleam of gold coming from his pocket. They also saw the steam of blood down his jacket, and one officer opened his mouth and took a breath to say something, when Satoshi turned to face him, shutting him up. An air of tension filled the hallway as the group walked alongside him in silence. A second officer, a little braver than the first, started, "Commander, w-where did you get that—"

"It's none of your business." He replied icily, cutting him off. He walked faster, leaving them behind. He walked out of the building and made his way over to Detective Saehara—he would tell him about the artwork himself. The detective was busy ordering around frantic officers and shooing away photographers and civilians.

"Now, go inside and tell those policemen to—hey! No one crosses this line, not even—"

"Detective Saehara."

"What?! Oh, Commander…" He said, a sudden change of tone in his voice. "What is it?"

"The artwork is safe. I have your men inside cleaning up."

"Dark has failed?!" He exclaimed rather loudly, attracting news reporters and journalists. A huge crowd had begun to encircle them, so Satoshi pushed his way out before he could be swallowed in. "What—hey! I'm still talking to you!" Called Saehara as Satoshi walked away.

'So, are you going to visit Inochi-san tonight?'

_No._

'Why not?'

_She doesn't need to know about this_. He replied, thinking of the long slice in his arm. He continued walking when he heard some people talking around the corner. He recognized the voices immediately as the officers he had met in the hallway, and decided to listen.

"I told you-- you shouldn't talk to him—he doesn't talk to anyone!"

"B-but I thought that he only gets like that when Dark steals an artwork." Said a meek voice, obviously a new officer.

"Are you kidding—he's not one to strike up conversation with!"

Satoshi listened intently to the conversation, staying hidden behind the wall.

"Didn't he have a girl with him at the Christmas party? Wonder how he managed to even find someone to go with…"

"I bet his dad paid her off or something—there's no way he'd make any friends on his own. Especially not _girl_friends."

_These guys have no idea what they're talking about—if they knew even half of what's been going on, they'd know to just keep their mouths shut!_

'Now that the mention it, it _was_ your father who invited her to that dance…'

"I saw them together a few nights ago in the museum-- maybe she's a gold-digger or something. The Hiwatari family is rich, after all."

Satoshi fought back the urge to punch the last guy in the face, and calmly continued walking.

_I can't bear to hear any more of this…_

……………………………

As the final bell rang and school came to a close, Shizuka eyed the white bandage wrapped around Satoshi's arm suspiciously. It covered half of his upper arm, and couldn't be hidden beneath the short sleeved school uniforms. While he was packing up, another boy ran past him and brushed against his shoulder, making Satoshi cringe and grasp the bandage in pain. Shizuka waited behind for Satoshi to catch up, offering him help with his books which he had dropped.

"Hikari-kun, why do you keep getting hurt on that arm? This is the third time—I _know _you didn't cut it on scrap metal." She asked as they walked down the stairs and out of the school.

Satoshi hesitated for a moment, weighing his options. If he lied to her now, she'd be madder than if he told her the truth. He stayed silent as they walked off school grounds and headed down the street.

"Don't lie to me!" She snapped, taking in the silence. "Please… just tell me the truth…"  
Satoshi sighed, speeding up his walk a little bit.

"It's from… black magic." He said quickly. He continued walking, but she stopped and pulled on his backpack strap, bringing him to a halt.

"W-what?"

Satoshi stayed silent, letting her know she had heard correctly.

"You've been using… all this time? Why didn't you tell me?!" She said, coming to a sudden realization.

"I just couldn't… I didn't want you to worry…"

"But that's dangerous!" She cried. "Why would you do something like that? Don't you know it can kill you?!"

Satoshi watched as she let go of him, tears washing over her face. He was taken aback—he had never seen her upset or angry like this before. She hadn't ever raised her voice before, either.

"I'm sorry." He said, reaching out to take her hand. "I didn't know you would be so upset by it." He confessed, dropping his bag on the ground to take her into his arms. She didn't stop him, but didn't return the embrace either. His arms wrapped fully around her slim figure, and his head rested in the crook of her neck. "If you needed help, you could've asked me…" She said, her voice quiet again.

"I'm sorry." He repeated, running a hand through her hair.

"Please, just promise me you won't use it again." She whispered. Her voice began cracking.

'If you agree to this, Satoshi-sama, your father will be very displeased.'

"I promise."

Shizuka draped her arms over his shoulders, then around his neck, as Satoshi continued to hold her firmly, breathing into her hair. "Thank you", she whispered, pulling back to look at him. She felt her heart pulse faster as his blue eyes bore into her, and she felt like he could see straight through her. She didn't even notice that they were slowly getting closer together until his breath was hot on her lips. Her eyes closed instinctively and his lips touched hers in wave of passion. His grip on her waist tightened as did hers on his neck, and he continued kissing her slowly, pulling back a few times for air. That is, until his cell phone rang.

_Not now… why now, _he thought, absorbing every last second of the kiss. He reluctantly broke away, tugging on her lips slightly. Shizuka stepped back and watched him fumble in his bag for the still vibrating phone, laughing to herself.

"Hello?" He mumbled.

"Ah, Satoshi! I was wondering if you could stop by my office on your way home from school. It's urgent—I'd appreciate if you could go right now. Unless you're busy…?"

"Of course."

"Excellent! I'll be expecting you in my office."

He hung up the phone and picked up his bag, slinging it over his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Inochi-san—I have to go. I'll—"

"I'll see you later." She finished, smiling brightly.

"Yeah. Later." He said, returning the smile.

He turned and began walking away, leaving Shizuka by herself. She crossed the street, which was completely empty, and started heading towards her side of town, when she heard a car stop behind her. Parked on the side of the street was a shiny black business-car with shaded windows. _Why isn't anyone getting out of that car? Actually, you never see cars like that in this area… _She waited for a minute, pretending to look for something in her bag, and then continued walking. Sure enough, the car started moving too. _Kidnappers?!_ She scanned the area frantically for an open shop, but everything was closed for some reason. The streets were deserted, and the street lamps weren't coming on, which was unusual since it was still February. _Everywhere is closed…_ The car followed her to the end of the block, and when she turned the corner, an identical black car was waiting parked in the middle of the street. Her eyes darted from one car to the other, then to empty street in front of her.

_There's no one here—where can I go? _

……………………………

Satoshi walked miserably to his father's mansion, hands in his pockets and a scowl on his face. He wasn't too happy about being 'interrupted', and by his father no less. The only worse thing that could've happened was that Takeshi could have turned the corner instead. Even the guards by the door sensed his foul mood and didn't greet him. He walked briskly to the upstairs office, passing up certificates and photos of people in tuxedos. These were all his father's acquaintances—people he hated, but stay friendly with for business purposes. When he came to the door he was looking for, he found that it was already opened. _What's this? He never leaves this door open. _Satoshi walked into the room, which was messy with strewn papers and a tin of pens knocked over. He examined the desk further, seeing no documents on Dark or the artworks. Instead it was just a bunch of signed papers and bank reports. _What could he have wanted to talk about? He never leaves his office—especially if he's expecting me… _Satoshi dropped his bag to the floor with a soft 'thud'. _So much for wanting me to come right away._

"Ah! There you are!" Said a voice from the doorway. It was one of his father's butlers—his main butler, actually. "The boss told me to expect you. Although, he said you wouldn't be here till later on today…"

"What? He just called me, saying he needed to talk to me right away."  
"Well that's strange—the boss has been out all morning. He left in such a hurry, bringing two cars with him."

Satoshi was about to pull out his phone to call his father, when something clicked.

'_It's urgent—I'd appreciate if you could go right now. Unless you're busy…?'_

_If I could '__**go'**__ right now? And what did he mean by 'busy'…_

"If you'd like, I can call him for you— hey! Where're you going?!"

Satoshi left his bag and darted past the butler and down the stairs, alarming the guards.

_He was there the whole time, that bastard!_

……………………………

A tall man came out of the passenger seat of the car, wearing a dark suit and glasses that gleamed in the sunset. Shizuka recognized him immediately as Satoshi's father—the same man who threatened Satoshi that he would kill her. She stood with her hands gripping her messenger bag subconsciously as Kei Hiwatari made his way slowly toward her. His expression was pleasant enough—just as it always is. He wore that same confident business man smile.

"Hello, Inochi-san—it's been a while. I'm sorry if I scared you before. I had to make sure we could talk in private, so I paid all the shops on these streets to close for the day." He said, scratching the back of his head and laughing.

When Shizuka didn't answer, he continued, "I wanted to clear up anything bad you might have heard about me recently—Satoshi may have told you some disturbing things, but I can guarantee it was just a misunderstanding. That boy is so quick to overreact—sometimes I feel like he doesn't even trust me!" He said, trying to make a joke out of it.

_Is this guy for real? He acts like a complete idiot in public, but he's been threatening and hurting Hikari-kun behind the scenes._

"Now, I wanted to negotiate something with you. You see, I'm afraid my son's life is consumed by his work, and as a father, I worry that a relationship between the two of you might be too strenuous. I'm sure you've noticed his tense behavior—I don't think there's really anything for you to gain from being his girlfriend. If you break off all ties to my son, I'll gladly supply you with a proper home instead of that apartment you live in currently. I can give you monthly income—you won't need to work anymore."

_He's trying to pay me to break up with his son—he's twisted. And how does he know where I live?!_

I'd hate to pressure you with this information, but it seems there are rumors circulating that you have been dating my son simply for money—I would hate it if this spread in your school. But every now and then, these rumors leak…"

_He's threatening me?! But that's not even true; how can he—_

"Now—I have with me a check for five-hundred thousand yen. If you agree to my terms, you can live a life of comfort…"

"With all due respect, Hiwatari-san, I can't accept your offer." She said immediately. She saw Kei turn to one of the cars and give a nod, telling the driver to leave. The other car followed suit, leaving the two of them alone. He removed his glasses, putting them in his jacket pocket.

_Why did those cars leave_, she thought, stepping back. Kei began to advance towards her.

"I-I need to get going, so if you'll excuse me…" She said, starting to walk around him. Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed her wrist, throwing her back to the ground. Shizuka yelped in surprise, trying to find something to grab onto. Kei stepped forward and lifted her head up by her hair, pulling it hard by the roots. His eyes had become obsessive, and his smile demonic.

"I was afraid you might say that." He said, pulling her hair harder.

"P-please let go…" she cried, pulling back a little. This time Kei jerked her head forward and lifted her chin with his other hand.

"I tried being nice—I offered you money, a better home, a happier life…"

He let go of her hair and slapped her hard across the face, leaving a red mark. Shizuka gave a quick cry of pain and kept her head down. Kei circled around her and forced her up by her arm, nearly yanking it off. Her legs dragged on the ground, drawing blood. He squeezed her arm tightly, his nails digging into her skin. Shizuka tried to kicking him, but he stepped on her feet to immobilize her.

"But you just don't give up, do you? It seems like no one's been listening to me lately—Krad got too caught up with his own interests to finish you off, my son's been taking matters into his own hands without my permission, and _you_." He spat. "_You_ keep interfering with everything I've been working towards. You might have saved yourself before—from sheer luck—but I can assure you that you won't be so lucky again. And don't think that you can stop my son from using that black magic—I ordered him to use it. _I _decide what he does, not _you_!"

"But he can die from using that much—"

"That's no longer your concern." He said, interrupting her sudden outburst.

Shizuka was about to try and knee him in the groin, but he threw her back down and beat her to it, kicking her hard in the stomach. She started coughing, unable to breathe. She was doubled over choking on air when she heard footsteps coming from around the corner. All of a sudden, there was a gasp and a thud, and heavy panting.

………………………

Satoshi ran all the way from his father's mansion to the street where he had left Shizuka earlier. She wasn't there, but he saw a black car parked down the street with his father's special license plate.

_Where is everyone? Did he go through all the trouble of buying out the street?_

He ran down the street that goes towards Shizuka's house, and listened for noise.

_Where did he take her? For all I know he could have her locked up already, or worse…_

He heard a cry and shuffling feet coming from around the corner, and sprinted quickly to said spot.

His father was standing in front of Shizuka, who was on the ground struggling to breathe. Without thinking, Satoshi charged forward and punched his father dead in the face, causing him to stumble backwards.

"Sa… Satoshi… what are you… doing here…" Panted Kei, taking out his cell phone and dialing for his drivers to pick him up. He wiped blood from his lips, and kept his confident smirk up.

"What did you do to Inochi-san?!" He yelled angrily, picking his father up by the collar. "Why did you hurt her, you son of a bitch?!"

"She refused to cooperate—she brought this upon herself, with your help."

The black car pulled up to the side of the street and Satoshi let go of his father's shirt, his glare still as hard as stone, not wanting to make a scene in front of outsiders.

"You'd do well to listen to me." He said, walking away. "_Both_ of you."

Satoshi sighed and turned back to Shizuka, who was still on the ground. He kneeled down in front of her, noticing the red marks left on her arm and face, and the blood on her legs. She was shaking from either fear or the cold.

"He… he tricked me. He was watching us the whole time… I should never have left you alone…I'm sorry." He panted. "I've been so afraid that this would happen."

"Hikari-kun, he tried to bribe me, and he blackmailed me… he bought out the entire block just for this." She said, in disbelief.

"I told you my father was twisted" He said solemnly, wrapping a coat around her shoulders and gently pulling her up. "Inochi-san, if you're afraid—and you every right to be—you can—"

"I'm not leaving." She said quickly. "Don't even suggest it. But… he can't _do_ that! He shouldn't be allowed to—"

"I know." He said, shushing her. "And he'll stop at nothing to get what he wants. We haven't seen the last of him—that's for sure."

AN: Wow—I was really impressed with how fast people reviewed for the last chapter—it's comforting to know that people are keeping up with it! Thank you so much! This is actually the last chapter of the middle of the story. The next chapter will start what I consider the end. There are a few chapters leading up to the climax, so get ready! I'm curious what you guys have to say about this chapter—thanks for reading!

By the way, 500,000 yen is about 5,000 dollars.


	22. All on a Stormy Night

I do not own DNAngel

(You might need to refer back to chapter 16 to understand the beginning of this chapter.)

_February 19, 1:04 AM_

_Service currently not available due to severe weather conditions. Please try again later._

Satoshi sighed and threw his cell phone carelessly on the table he was working at. Rain poured down the windows and the lights blinked on and off. Pulling out a flashlight, he picked up one of the books from the table, entitled Art History and Legends and turned to a random page.

_Chapter Seventeen: The Cultural Reformation and the Hikari Family_

_The Cultural Reform is one of the most mysterious events in history in that we don't know anything about it for fact. According to popular belief, the famous Hikari family of artists suddenly began to destroy their artworks and went into total seclusion. The reasoning behind this is completely unknown to the public, and there are doubts that the Cultural Reformation even happened. Some modern historians believe that the artworks were simply lost or stolen by the Phantom Thief Dark, whose first appearance was recorded to be about the same time. Dark has always targeted Hikari artworks, so it is a strong possibility that he was behind the Reform. Although the timing is right, these historians refuse to accept any sort of link between the Phantom Thief and the Hikari family. _

Satoshi choked back a disgusted laugh and closed the book. He had been in the library since school ended looking for a way to break their curse. Of course, he knew that the public library wouldn't have that kind of information, but he thought he'd give it a shot and see if they had any ancient writings or maps or _something _to get him on the right track. After hours of searching and nothing to show for it, he convinced the librarian to let him stay and lock up when he was done. So here he was, 1:07 AM on a rainy Friday morning.

He pulled another book out of the pile and opened it to the middle. This one was called Art Myths, and bragged secret information about the Cultural Reformation on its cover. _Section Four: Secret of the Hikari family_

_Anyone whose ever heard of the Cultural Reform and has seen a Hikari artwork in a museum has to wonder—why did they do it? It's a question historians have asked themselves for years. Why would the Hikari family suddenly destroy their precious artworks and lead themselves to ruin? Dr. Yagamachi, the art history professor at prestigious Keio University, believes that there were many reasons leading up to the Reform that have been kept hidden from the public. He believes in the existence of outside parties—something that may have triggered the isolation and destruction of the Hikari family and their artworks. According to his research, the late Hikari pieces all portray feelings of immense anger and frustration, signifying that something was troubling the clan for quite some time before the Reform. He believes that, due to the supposed quiet and secluded nature of the family, there must have been outsiders present who caused the abrupt change. A final piece of evidence to prove his point is a painting, created during that time period, of a young girl holding a harp. It has no title or signature except for the family name. The Doctor's reasoning is that the girl was an outsider, since the Hikari never painted themselves or each other. He also thinks it highly unlikely that someone in that family should not title or personally sign the painting unless they wanted to keep it a secret, further suggesting an outside party connected with the Hikari. The Painting's whereabouts are unknown. _

Satoshi put the book down, folding a page to keep the spot. _Who is this guy? How was he able to deduct so much? And how does he know about that painting?_ The painting he was talking about was of the Inochi girl who died giving life to the Black Wings. It was found a few days after the curse began, along with the dead body of the Hikari heir. He killed himself in grief over the girl whose life he had forcibly brought to an end.

_No one knows where that painting is now. It was hidden away shortly after the Cultural Reform began, so as to spare it. _

Satoshi flipped to the back cover of the book, to the 'About the Author' section. Underneath was a credit to Dr. Yagamachi, the book's number one resource.

_Prof. Yagamachi Taro is a retired art history teacher of Keio University, and currently resides in Northern Hokkaido with his wife. More information on his theories can be obtained in an interview at this website…_

Satoshi rubbed his eyes, copied the URL down in his notebook, and pulled out his cell phone, which read 1:34 AM. He let out a yawn and stretched, though refusing to acknowledge that he was exhausted.

_The Nineteenth… I wonder how much time I have left, _

Satoshi took with him the book on art myths, making a mental note to return it eventually. He turned off the lights and walked outside to lock up. The rain was still pouring, and lightening was flashing in the background. He turned the lock slowly, his bag hanging from his shoulder limply. He walked down the steps in a daze, the rain hardly fazing him.

_I need to act fast…_ He thought._ I need someplace to start, so I might as well start at the beginning._

………………………

_What am I doing here?_ Thought Shizuka, miserably. She circled the old well again, trailing her hand along the stone and mossy surface. The water in the well rippled fiercely as the rain poured down into it. The ground was over-saturated and the water was starting to flood the small clearing, drowning the flowers and trees that survived the howling winds prior.

_This is the second time this week…_

Second time that she found herself at this spot without a clue how she got there.

_I remember going to bed, but I don't remember waking up._ _So that means I must have been sleep-walking… _She shuddered at the thought._ But why back to this spot? There's nothing down there—you can see the bottom. _She thought, looking down the well. It was shallow—only about two feet deep. From behind her, a wind came, blowing her soaking wet hair and nightgown towards the well. In the distance, thunder cackled, bringing her back to reality. _Nothing to do about it now… it must be early in the morning._ She folded her arms across her chest and shivered, taking in the freezing temperature, and began walking back home against the wind.

………………………

Daisuke sat with Riku and Shizuka in the back of the classroom, waiting for class to start. The rain had carried on into the morning and was flooding the streets and everyone was silently hoping for an early dismissal. Shizuka, who figured she must have caught a cold that morning, couldn't seem to get warm, even though she was wearing an old sweatshirt and had her hands tucked in the sleeves. She sat in her seat huddled in a ball watching Riku and Daisuke play cards.

"Got any… twos?"

"Go fish."

Riku sighed and reached over to take another card. She and Daisuke had been playing Go Fish for over an hour, and still no teacher or announcement. Two thirds of the class was missing, and the other third was slowly starting to leave, even though there was no official dismissal. "Why can't we just go home? There's nothing to do here—an entire wing on the other side of the school has been flooded." Said Takeshi, coming up behind them. Even _his_ spirits were drained today. Just then, the doors opened again and Satoshi came stumbling in, his hair and clothes soaked from the rain. A few fan girls in the class swooned.

"Hikari-kun, what happened?" Shizuka asked as he joined the group, pulling up a chair.

"It's raining." He said, dropping his wet bag onto the floor.

"No kidding" She replied, "I meant why do you look so tired?"

Satoshi looked like he was straining to stay focused, and his eyes were droopy and blood-shot. He didn't walk with as much grace as he usually did—he was clumsy and on a different planet.

"Hey, you there?" She asked again, waving her hand in front of his face. He snapped out of it, looking around the classroom. "Y-yeah, sorry. I guess I didn't get much sleep last night." He said quickly. Before Shizuka could ask any more questions, Takeshi stood on the teacher's desk and began shouting to the adult-less class.

"Hey guys—I have a _great _idea! We can flood the classroom! That way, there'll be no way they could keep us here!" He yelled, practically letting every other class know what was going on. "The west wing is already flooded, so all those students are in the cafeteria. If this wing is flooded too, there won't be anywhere for everyone to stay! They'll _have_ to send us home by law!"

The class looked around the room, eyeing each other in question. All together, there were nine people. Miyamoto, who was surprisingly still in the building, stood up and joined Takeshi on the desk. "C'mon guys, we'll be heroes! It's not like we're going to do anything today anyway, so it's like an imprisonment!" A few other kids agreed to help and began forming a staircase of desks to reach the ceiling. Then, they all began climbing up and trying to remove the ceiling tiles to let the rain water in.

"Uhh… what do we do now?" Asked Daisuke, putting the cards away.

"Let's join in!" Exclaimed Risa. Riku tried to hold her back, but she jerked her hand free.

"Risa! Oh, she's so stubborn!" Said Riku as Risa ran off to help flood the classroom.

"So where do we go?" She asked.

"I guess we should go to the cafeteria now…" Said Daisuke. The four of them took their bags and filed out of the classroom, leaving everyone else behind. Shizuka walked alongside Satoshi, who was moving slower than usual. "Maybe you should go home and get some sleep, since there's—"

"Are you alright?" He said suddenly, looking up from his sleepy daze.

"What?"

"You look cold." He observed, eyeing the sweatshirt and her hands that were still tucked in her sleeves.

"Yeah, probably from the rain. But _you're _drenched! If you were so tired, you shouldn't have come to school today."

"I needed to talk to you. I was doing some research last night, and—"

"You stayed up all night doing research?" She asked, disapprovingly.

"Yes. So, I wanted to ask if you know anything about this." He said, holding out a book to her. It was already open to the page he had read last night about the reasons behind the Cultural Reform. She read the pages quickly, keeping an eye on Satoshi to make sure he didn't fall asleep or hit a wall or something. By the time she finished, they were in the cafeteria.

"About this painting?"

"Yeah. Did you know about it?"

"Yes, but I've never seen it. I only know what my parents told me, and what they said was always biased." She said, remembering her family's hatred for both the Hikari and Niwa families. "You know the story about all that, right?"

Satoshi shook his head 'yes', taking a seat next to Shizuka. "The author of this book references this professor who was able to deduct a lot about the Cultural Reform from this painting, so I was wondering how he got it."

Shizuka stayed quiet for a second; racking her brain for anything she might have heard about its location. "I have no idea. I would assume that it's in the Hikari estate, but…"

"But we don't know where that is." He finished, taking the book from her and putting it back in his bag. Since the families had abandoned their old estates and adapted to somewhat normal life-styles, the location of these ancient houses were forgotten.

"Why the sudden interest in the Cultural Reform? You must know more about it than the library."

"I thought maybe starting there I could find a way to stop… _this_." He said, watching Daisuke and Riku on the other side of the cafeteria talking to some teachers.

"W-wait, that's what all this is about?" She half-whispered upon seeing Daisuke and Riku coming back toward the table.

Satoshi didn't answer, and waited for their friends to come back and give them the news.

"The other teachers said that our teacher is stuck at home, since her house has leaks. They couldn't get a substitute, so we're dismissed." Announced Riku.

The four of them packed up and left the over-crowded cafeteria. The rain still wasn't letting up, so they decided to take shelter in the park's restaurant, since it was the closest place. They ran all the way from their school to the park—a good ten minute run—and found (luckily) that the restaurant was open. They filed in one by one, shedding their jackets, but Shizuka stopped before she went in, looking at the trees in the distance. She felt a familiar sensation of being mentally pulled in.

_Where have I seen this before? _

"Inochi-san?"

With a weird feeling of being dropped from a height, she came back to reality.

"Are you okay?" Asked Satoshi, still pulling his coat off. "You were just standing out in the rain for a few seconds."

"Y-yeah; must've zoned out for a second." She lied, stepping inside and taking off her jacket. _I should probably tell him about this morning, but I don't want him to worry even more… _she thought, still holding her jacket which was only half-way off. As she debated, staying frozen in place, Satoshi eyed her suspiciously and took the rest of the jacket off her gently. She snapped out of her daze with apparent confusion and looked up to see Satoshi's concerned face looking down on her.

"Maybe I should take you home. We can call a taxi or—"

"N-no, it's fine. I think I'm just tired or something…" She stuttered, avoiding eye contact. Satoshi lifted her chin, making her look at him, and saw guilt written all over her face.

"You're a terrible liar—I'm calling a taxi, then you have to tell me what's wrong." He took out his cell phone and began dialing a number.

"Okay, okay, but I have to show you!" She confessed, holding his arm back so he couldn't put the phone to his ear. He hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket. He watched Shizuka put her jacket back on and he followed suit, waiting patiently for an answer. She led him outside and motioned towards the woods where she had experienced déjà vu earlier. "I think there's something weird in those woods."

"Weird?"

"I could swear that I've been there before, and I feel…" She paused. "I feel strange every time I look at it. Like now…"

Satoshi felt his mouth go dry with fear—_this could be the beginning of the end_

"What do you feel?" He whispered.

"Like… like I'm being pulled in. Like it's… calling me." She said, feeling that very sensation as she stared into the thick forest. "Or something like that." She said awkwardly, shaking her head and looking back to Satoshi. He stood next to her, concentrating on the forest.

"I can't feel anything." He announced after a few seconds. "But I want to go check it out."

Shizuka caught him by the sleeve as he started making his way to the woods.

"There's more" She blurted out, suddenly feeling worried. "This morning, and the morning before, I woke up in a clearing—I have no idea how I got there. I just found myself in this clearing with a shallow well."

Satoshi turned around to face her. "You were sleep-walking?"

"I don't know. I don't know how it happened." She said shakily, feeling the urge to cry. "What if it's in that clearing? I don't remember the route I took to get home, but I could swear it's in that clearing." She and Satoshi were both drenched by the rain by now, and it was obscuring their view. Satoshi squinted to try and get a better look, and took a step forward.

"You can't go in there!"

"I have to go see what's there."

"But—!"

"Wait inside." He shouted over the rain as he walked away from her. "I'll be back in twenty minutes."

Shizuka watched him disappear into the rain and reluctantly made her way back to the restaurant. She felt an unsettling chill go down her spine when she saw how dark it had gotten outside.

"Hey, Inochi-san! Where were you guys? And where's Hiwatari-kun?" Called Daisuke. He and Riku were seated at a table in the corner with four cups of hot chocolate.

"He said he'd be right back. We were just looking for… my house keys. I dropped them outside, but we found them."

……………………………

Satoshi fought his way through the thick trees and rain, pushing branches and logs out of the way. _This is it. This is the start I've been looking for._ It took about ten minutes for him to finally reach the clearing, and it was just as Shizuka had described. There was a well with moss growing on the sides. It went down about two feet deep, and was in a small clearing about the size of his bedroom. Satoshi looked down into the well, seeing nothing suspicious except that there was no bucket to get water. He would have thought that the bucket blew away in the storm, but there was nothing that would have held the bucket—no wooden blocks to hang it from.

_What would this well have been used for if not to get water?_ He thought. _It must be old—it has tons of moss and the stones are faded—some are even missing…_

Satoshi examined the clearing carefully, taking in every detail before setting off again into the forest.

_I wanted answers, but instead I got more questions… I don't know what our curse could have to do with that well, but Inochi-san should definitely stay away from that place._

……………………………

Shizuka paced back and forth in front of the large window in the restaurant. The storm had gotten worse, and lightening was flashing in the distance. The sky had become pitch black and fog covered the ground.

_Where is he? He said twenty minutes… he's been gone for over an hour now…_

She jumped a little when she saw lightening flashing near the woods. Riku and Daisuke watched frantically as she looked out the window.

"Hey, Shizuka-chan? I'm sure Hiwatari-kun is fine—he can take care of himself." Said Riku reassuringly. Another flash of lightening came from within the woods, followed by a loud crash of thunder.

"What if he got hurt on the way back? I need to go see if he's alright!" She exclaimed, reaching for her jacket. Just as she was about to run out the door, Daisuke grabbed her wrist and held her back. Wind, leaves and rain blew in from outside through the open door. Seeing as how Daisuke was blinded by the rush of wind, she seized her chance and ran outside, nearly tripping on a loose rock. "Niwa-kun, you need to go after her!" Yelled Riku over the thunder. Daisuke nodded and followed close after Shizuka, motioning for Riku to stay behind.

When Shizuka reached the outskirts of the forest, she heard the wind blow against the trees, creating a moaning sound. Terrified as she was, she stepped into the thick trees and kept her eyes downcast to avoid being lured in against her will. She could hear Daisuke calling after her and making noise by stepping on dried leaves, but his voice seemed so far away it could barely reach her. She kept on walking in the same direction as the wind—to the center, and without even realizing it at first, she couldn't stop. The conscious part of her mind was becoming clouded and drowsy as she was carried through the woods, dodging trees and branches on instinct. She slowly began to lose herself, almost unable to hear Daisuke's distant calling or remember why she was there in the first place. The wind blew violently, pushing her forwards keeping her dazed and oblivious.

What brought her back to her senses was the glow of a lightening flash reflecting off pale skin.

_Hikari-kun?!_

She shook her head violently, shaking off the stupor, and ran over to Satoshi, who was lying on the ground under a fallen tree. His head and arm were bleeding badly, and he was shivering from the cold. Shizuka tried in a panic to remove the log which was crushing him, as Daisuke came up behind her, out of breath and drenched.

"I-it's crushing him!" She cried in fear.

Daisuke got on the other side of Satoshi and helped Shizuka push the log off, revealing a slice through his chest where a branch had cut him.

"We have to get him inside—it could be infected!" Said Daisuke, trying to clean some of the dirt off of the wound. Shizuka wrapped her coat around it and tried it to apply pressure, but the blood just kept seeping through. Daisuke reached for Satoshi's jacket and pulled out his cell phone, dialing a number quickly and covering his ears against the phone so he could hear above the rain and thunder. Meanwhile, Shizuka cleaned off as much mud as she could and lifted him up a little so that his back was against a tree instead of on the ground. After a few quick words, Daisuke tucked the phone away and lifted Satoshi up on his shoulders. "I called my parents—they're coming to pick us up." He said, running as fast as he could in the mud with Shizuka following right behind. They ran for what seemed like forever, and Shizuka fought the luring winds that were blowing against her the entire time, keeping her focus on Satoshi. When they finally made it out of the woods, it felt like a breath of fresh air. Daisuke walked up to the sidewalk of the park and put Satoshi down next to Shizuka.

"I'm going to go call Riku—my parents will be here any minute!"

He ran off, leaving Shizuka to care for Satoshi. She kneeled down next to him, holding him so he didn't fall over. His breathing was violent and he was shaking from the cold. She rested his head on her shoulder and wrapped her arms around his torso, trying to keep him warm. From the park entrance she could see headlights coming towards them fast—Daisuke's parents. Within seconds, Kosuke and Daiki were taking Satoshi from her and carrying him to the car, wasting no time on formalities. Emiko came up next to her and lifted her up by the hand, guiding her to the car door and seating her next to Satoshi. Everything happened so fast around her—the next thing she knew, Daisuke was in the car with Riku and they were pulling away from the park. She and Satoshi had blankets thrown over them, and Satoshi's head was resting against her shoulder. She heard voices from the front seat—Emiko and Kosuke were debating how to get home, since most of the roads were closed off and they couldn't get through the same one-way street that they came on.

"We can go to my house." Shizuka suggested drowsily. "It's nearby."

Emiko turned around and Daisuke nodded to her, telling her he knew the way. Shizuka let Daisuke give the directions and rested her head against the door, soon falling asleep.

……………………………

"Inochi-san."

Shizuka tossed in her sleep, struggling to avoid waking up. When someone started shaking her awake, though, she hesitantly opened her eyes.

"Inochi-san, wake up." said a clear, smooth voice above her. She jumped up as last nights events flooded back to her.

"Hikari-kun?! You're supposed to be lyin—"

"What happened? Why is Daisuke's family here?" He asked, watching Emiko and Towa rummaging through some cabinets in the background.

"You don't remember? You were crushed under a tree—Daisuke and I found you, and his family came to pick us up. My house was closest, so…"

"I found the clearing you were talking about—I didn't notice anything too suspicious, but you really need to stay away from it."  
"When we came to find you, it was starting again. It was pulling me in again. But what can I do? It's happened before while I was asleep and I didn't even notice it."

"I already thought of that. I told Niwa's family, and they insist that you stay with them for now. They're packing for you." He said, smiling slightly as she watched them running around the house with a small suitcase.

"What? Are they sure?"

"You won't be able to tell his mom otherwise now—she's ecstatic about having a 'daughter figure' in her house." He paused. "I didn't tell them anything else, though. That's up to you."

Emiko was coming around the corner when she caught sight of the young couple, now wide awake.

"Oh my God! You're awake! Did you hear the good news? You're going to stay with us!" She squealed, running up to Shizuka and nearly pushing Satoshi out of the way. Kosuke heard the noise and came inside next, watching his wife nearly hug to death her new house guest.

"Aside from having a son to be Dark, I've always wanted a daughter!! Oh, this is so exciting!"

"Are you okay with this?" Asked Kosuke to Satoshi.

"Of course—this is the best option." Replied Satoshi, putting on his adult-attitude.  
"I mean having to visit her at our house now. Emiko can be a little… well—"

"I understand, but that's not what's important." He said, standing up.

"Hey, if _you_ need any help, for yourself, _you're_ always welcome too." Said Kosuke as Satoshi began to walk away. He paused at the doorway with his back still turned to hear what Kosuke had to say. "You're just a kid—you shouldn't have to deal with _any_ of the things that are probably on your mind right now."

Satoshi nodded and left the room to find Daisuke. He was in the entryway watching his grandfather talk to Shizuka's landlord. _It looks like things are going well. At least now she won't live alone…_

'You won't be able to visit her as freely if she's living with the Niwas.'

_I'll see her in school. _

'And that dreadful woman will probably keep her from associating with you…'

_It's just temporary._

'What if she likes it there? What if they ask her to stay?'

"Ah, Hiwatari-kun! I just talked to Riku-san—she doesn't have any problem with Inochi-san staying with us. I was worried she might not like the idea… _You're _okay with it, right Hiwatari-kun?"

"Of course."

………………………………

_*CRASH*_

Kei Hiwatari stood in a pitch black room lit only by a few candles. In front of him was a large veiled statue—it reached up so high the top was barely visible. Around it were various chains—unlocked chains. The only sound that currently filled the room was his laughter; terrible laughter that pierced right through the stone walls surrounding the room.

"The Hikari wanted to destroy their artwork, fools that they were." He scowled.

He wielded a devious smile and a sword, which he swung with heavy strokes, slicing through the chains around the statue.

"But _I _will _save_ their precious creations."

With one more slice, the chains fell off completely and the cloak came tumbling down magnificently, revealing his prize.

"At last, the Black Wings will awaken again, and all its power will belong to me—it's rescuer!"

AN: *laughs* sorry if that last part was a little cliché. Even if it seems like I'm adding a lot to this story in this chapter, it really is only going to be a few more chapters long. AND I'm happy to announce that there will be a sequel, so the loose ends in this story will obviously tie up there. I can't wait to finish this story and get started on the second part—please keep reading and drop a review!


	23. Hope

I do not own DNAngel

Shizuka sat on the bed in her new room, given to her by the Niwa's, and watched a couple of baby birds learn to fly from outside the window. She knew she only had a couple of days left, but she couldn't bring herself to tell Daisuke or his parents. She didn't want them to know how much time she had left, or what Dark was doing to her every time he got a hold of an artwork. Right now, the only thing she could think of doing would be to leave and go somewhere that they wouldn't find her. At least, not alive. Even then, though, she figured Satoshi would let up everything anyway and they would still find out. _Besides,_ she thought, _I wouldn't be able to run away—I can barely walk today. _

She had been staying indoors all day, mostly just sitting on the bed. When she had to get up, she walked slowly with little balance and got dizzy easily. Breathing was an effort now, and she had been finding it harder and harder to wake up each morning. Nothing she did could get herself energized—she felt like she was falling apart.

From the hallway she could hear shouts and laughter, followed by a soft knock on her door. She was about to call out that they could come in, when she remembered that the door was locked.

"Shizuka? Are you alright?" Called Emiko from outside the door.

"Y-yeah—just a minute!"  
She slowly shifted her weight to her feet and stood up, holding onto the headboard. She then walked towards the door as quickly as she could, all the while grasping the wall, and let Emiko in.

"Oh my—what happened? You're all pale!" She exclaimed. "And why are you shaking?"

"I'm fine. I just don't feel so well. I think I have a… a cold." She said, feeling her legs about to give.

"Well, okay. In that case, I'll go make some soup." Emiko said cautiously, watching Shizuka's grip on the door handle tighten. "In the mean time, why don't you get some rest?"

"Yeah, I think I will. Thanks."

Emiko turned and walked back to the kitchen, and as soon as she was out of sight, Shizuka closed the door and dropped to the floor with a sigh of relief. She was shivering even though it was warm inside, and her legs felt wobbly. She crawled over to the bed and sat on the floor with her back against it. _I just wish I could go somewhere else. I haven't even been sleep walking these past few days—probably because I can't walk to begin with. Being here is just making things worse…_

Shizuka huddled into a ball, her face in her knees. Her whole body ached. She knew she had to get up soon, since Emiko would be back, but she couldn't bring herself to move. It had been like this every day since she went to live with the Niwas, which was four days ago. _I have school tomorrow… _She thought_. It would be better if I didn't go, but… I can't let them think anything's wrong. And I really want to see Hikari-kun—it could be the last time._

…………………………

"Kosuke… she looks worse every time I see her. What could be wrong?" Said Emiko worried. "She's always shivering, hardly eats, her face is always sheet white and she has cold sweats."

"I'm sure she's just sick. There's nothing to worry about, Emiko." He replied calmly. He didn't want to tell her that he thought there was something much more serious going on. He wasn't quite sure what this 'something' could be, but he had a pretty good idea that it wasn't a cold—that much was for sure.

…………………………

The next morning, Shizuka forced herself to get out of bed and to get ready for school. It was the last day before a long weekend, so to her, it could be the last time she'd ever get to go there. She got dressed carefully, trying to keep her balance, and met with Daisuke by the door just before he was leaving.

"W-what? I thought you were sick! You can't go to school!" He exclaimed.

"It's alright. I feel a lot better now." She said, trying to keep her composure.

On the way to school, she lagged slightly behind Daisuke, but otherwise was able to keep up. _I can do this… Only a little more to go…_ She felt better being outside for a change, and Daisuke didn't seem to realize anything was wrong. Or if he did, he didn't say anything.

They got to school on time, and joined Satoshi in the back of the class room. He looked up in shock as soon as he saw Shizuka with Daisuke. He wasn't expecting her to come in today.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, standing up as they walked over. Daisuke sensed the urgency in his voice and wandered off so that the couple could be alone. Shizuka looked at Satoshi questioningly as he pulled her aside where no one could here them.

"You… you shouldn't be here. You look so sick—why couldn't you just stay at Niwa's house?!" He whispered, trying to angry. His voice was full of worry. "You're so pale; did you seriously think you could—"

"I wanted to see you. That's why I'm here."

Satoshi was frustrated and taken aback. Her eyes were hazy and no longer the pretty, bright green they were when they met. "Please, Inochi-san, just let me take you home. It'll be so much better for you there." he pleaded.

"Really, I'm fine. Besides, class is going to start soon anyway."

"If you need to go home, don't hesitate to ask me." He said seriously, trying to get her to understand his concern. He gripped her arms tightly, feeling the contrast between her freezing body temperature and his warmer one. "I can—"

"Hiwatari-san, Inochi-san, please take your seats." Said their teacher, who had just walked in. Satoshi reluctantly let go of her and watched her walk back to her seat. _She looks so much thinner that usual. Her body was freezing… and her eyes were so far away…_

………………………

Daisuke watched Satoshi take his seat next to Shizuka. They both looked so solemn— it scared him a little. _Hey Dark? What do you think is going on?_ He asked. He got no reply. _Dark? You there? _Daisuke tried again. Still no reply. _What? Why isn't he answering? Dark! _This time, Daisuke heard a distant call being drowned out by static. He couldn't tell what the voice was saying, but he was sure it was Dark. He tried calling again, but all he got was silence.

………………………

Satoshi watched Shizuka from the corner of his eye throughout the entire lesson. He noticed her hand shaking while she took notes, and her face draining of whatever little color it had before. She looked like she was going to collapse. He couldn't bear to watch her suffer through the day anymore, and resolved to take her home during lunch, which started in five minutes.

"Alright class… before you all go to lunch, let's play a little review game." Said their teacher enthusiastically. The class groaned. "Now, I'll write a math problem on the board, and when I call your name, stand and give me the answer. Let's see..." She said, scanning the classroom. "Inochi-san, why don't you go first?" Said the teacher as she wrote the problem. Shizuka stood up reluctantly, gripping the side of her desk. She could feel herself shaking. _I must look so pathetic right now_, She though miserably. Suddenly, she felt a terrible throbbing in her head that caught her off guard. The teacher looked at her expectantly to answer the question. "I-it's… uh…" She struggled to see the board as her whole world began spinning and warping. All she could see were blurs of color and bright lights. She brought a hand up to her head where the ache was and felt herself stumble backwards a little. She felt the sensation of falling thousands of feet in two seconds before blacking out completely.

………………………

Satoshi was out of his seat in a heartbeat the second she started falling. He caught her just before her head hit the floor, then knelt down on the ground and tried gently shaking her awake. He held her up with one arm around her back and leaned her against his chest. "Inochi-san? Are you okay? Can you hear me?" He whispered low enough so that no one else could hear him. She didn't budge at all. All around him, classmates were gasping and gathering around. He ignored their questions and quickly draped his jacket over her body.

"Oh my god—what happened?"  
"She fainted?! And Hiwatari-kun caught her!"

All the girls in the class squealed at the heroic act, but Satoshi tuned them out and checked Shizuka's pulse, which he found to be irregularly slow. He scooped her up in his arms and stood up effortlessly. "Say, what kind of relationship do you two have, anyway?" One student asked. Another girl spoke up, "Yeah, what makes _her_ so special?"

"Never mind. Just get out of the way—I need to get her out of here." He said sternly. He walked briskly over to the teacher, who was standing among the circle that had formed around them. "Hiwatari-kun, could you bring her over to the nurse?" She asked, one hand over her mouth in shock.

"Actually, her guardians have asked me to bring her directly home if anything like this were to happen. She's been very ill." He said calmly, hiding his overwhelming concern for her. The teacher nodded and Satoshi left the classroom. As soon as he was out of sight, the teacher looked to Daisuke and asked, "Niwa-kun— you know those two pretty well. Would you mind going with them? I'd feel much better if you did." Daisuke shot up from his desk and ran out of the room to follow Satoshi. _Perfect-- I didn't have to make something up._

Satoshi was already leaving school grounds when Daisuke caught up with him. "Hiwatari-kun!!!" Daisuke called as he came up alongside him. "Hiwatari-kun, what happened to her?!"

"I don't know. I tried to convince her to leave, but she never listens to me." He said through gritted teeth, still walking quickly. "Now she's gotten really sick. God, I wish she would just _listen_ to me!" They crossed the street and started heading down Daisuke's block. Daisuke could see Satoshi was frustrated and worried, so he decided not to say anything about not being able to talk to Dark before. They reached Daisuke's house in a matter of ten minutes, with Satoshi steaming all the while. Daisuke knocked on the door loudly, looking up to face the camera his family had above it.

Satoshi's heart was beating so loud he could swear the rest of the world could hear it. In a few seconds, Emiko opened the door and pulled them inside, taking in the scene. She took Daisuke to the kitchen while Kosuke motioned for Satoshi to follow him to Shizuka's room. No one said more than a few words—everything was action. Satoshi laid Shizuka on the bed and pulled the blankets over her shivering body. He sat at the foot of the bed while Emiko came rushing in to take her temperature. Daisuke followed behind her, telling his father how she had fainted in class.

"Oh—wait, earlier today I lost contact with Dark!" He said, suddenly remembering his own situation.

"What?" Exclaimed his parents. Satoshi thought for a minute. He hadn't heard from Krad all day either. _That's weird—he hasn't said anything about Inochi-san today_. He tried calling him, but got no reply. He gasped. "I can't talk to Krad either."

Kosuke looked to Emiko, who nodded her head, and left the room with out a word. "You two stay here with her—We'll be right back." She said. Daisuke nodded and sat down next to Satoshi on the bed. Shizuka was still shivering despite the heavy blankets thrown over her. The room was dark—the only light coming in was from the window.

Emiko and Kosuke returned, each with a rutile in their hand. Emiko held hers up to her son, while Kosuke did the same for Satoshi. Each rutile glowed and shook a little bit, then stopped when the adults pulled them away. "They're still there—that's good. I don't know why you guys can't talk to them though…" Said Emiko in relief.

Daisuke saw Satoshi reach over to brush some stray hairs out of Shizuka's face.

"Hiwatari-kun… It's going to be alright" He said comfortingly. "It's probably just a cold or something."

Satoshi sighed. "It's not a cold, Niwa-kun."_ I can't let her keep suffering like this—if there's any chance that it could save her life, then I have to tell them what's really been going on._

"She's dying."

Daisuke and his family all looked up from what they were doing. The whole house fell silent waiting to hear more.

"She's been dying… for a while now." He continued. "Her life has been slowly being taken from her since the day she was born, and each time Dark seals an artwork, he cuts her lifespan even shorter." Satoshi avoided looking at the Niwa's while he told them her secret. Instead, he stayed focused on her. He could tell by the uneasy atmosphere that what he was telling them was hard to take in.

"I've known about this for a little under three months, and I've known how much time she's had left for about two. But she didn't want you to know. She must have only hours left, at the most. I'm telling you because I don't know how to save her, and I'm desperate" He choked out. He hated asking for help—especially from the Niwas.

Daisuke was the first one to speak. "Hiwatari-kun… why… why couldn't you say something sooner! She's really… dying?! How?! Why didn't she say anything?!" He shouted in disbelief. He had been contributing to his friend's death without even knowing it.

"She didn't want to!" Satoshi snapped back. His whole body tensed. "She thought that it wasn't her place to put you in that position! What would you have done, Niwa?! If you knew, what would you have done?!"

"I… I don't know, but…" He stuttered. _Would I have stopped? Would Dark have stopped?_ Both of them fell silent. Emiko and Kosuke, who had been listening the whole time, finally stepped forward.

"It's not your fault. Just… please help me try to save her…" Satoshi said quietly, recovering from his outburst.

"We have very little time. I don't know what we can do, but we can at least try to find something." Said Kosuke. "Satoshi, Daisuke, why don't we go downstairs and look in the library. Emiko, will you take care of her?" He asked. She nodded her head solemnly. She wasn't hyperactive like she normally was—after hearing the distressing news, she felt more guilty than Daisuke for sending out the warning letters.

With one last glance at Shizuka, Satoshi rose and followed Daisuke and his father out of the room. _Sorry, Inochi-san, but if this works, then you'll end up thanking me for it…_

………………………

Satoshi sat at a desk in the underground Niwa library looking through books and stories. He hadn't found anything at all yet—only folklore. Daisuke and Kosuke hadn't found much either. Kosuke had warned Satoshi, in the kindest way possible, not to get his hopes up. He said that the chances of finding a cure this late was highly unlikely. And even though he never said it directly, Satoshi knew that they were telling him not to expect her to live. They wanted him to be ready to accept that they might _not_ be able to save her. Even with these warnings, though, Satoshi wasn't ready to let go.

_There has to be a way… I'm just not looking hard enough._

Upstairs, in the kitchen, Kosuke was talking to Emiko.

"Will he be okay, Kosuke? If we don't save her, I mean…" She asked quietly. Kosuke didn't want to dilute the situation anymore—he knew there wasn't much left to be done.

"I'm not sure." He replied. "In the stories of how this all started, the Hikari heir committed suicide after the Inochi girl died. I don't expect this of Satoshi, of course, but I can guarantee that he'll be much changed."

Emiko didn't respond. "I'm going to go look some more." Kosuke announced, heading out of the kitchen. "She woke up before, y'know. For a few minutes. She was asking for him." Emiko added slowly.

"I'll let him know."

…………………

"Hey, Satoshi, how are you doing?" Asked Kosuke. He had decided to check up on him. Satoshi was still at the desk with a pile of books on either side of him. "You look tired—why don't you take a break?" He offered, taking a seat on the other side of the desk.

"There's no time. I need to—"

"Listen, I don't want you to take this the wrong way—I'm not discouraging you from trying to save her—but you should know that even if you found something, what are the chances that you would be able to put it into action? We don't know how long she can hold on. There might not be time." He said firmly.

"…"

"Emiko said that she was asking for you before. I think that the best thing you can do for her now is just to be with her." He added, standing up.

When he walked away, Satoshi sighed and closed the useless book he had in front of him. He turned out the light that he was using and walked back upstairs to Shizuka's room.

_Maybe he's right… I'll stay with her for a little while, but I'm not going to give up yet. There's got to be something I can do…_

Shizuka was asleep when he got there—it eased him to see that she was still breathing. She wasn't shivering anymore, and had rolled over a little bit in her sleep so that she was lying on her side.

_She looks a lot better now… _he thought. _Maybe I still have some time…_

He sat down on the empty side of the bed and stroked her hair gently. "Ino… Shizuka, can you hear me?" He asked, feeling his face slightly burn up. He had never really used her first name, except for a few rare exceptions. He smiled to himself, saying her name once more just to try it out. Shizuka stirred a little bit, feeling the warmth of Satoshi's hand still in her hair. She opened her eyes to see him smiling down at her, but couldn't sit up.

"Hey."

"Hey." She whispered back, unable to find her voice. Satoshi laid down in the empty space next to her and continued running his hand through her hair.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better…I'm sorry about earlier today, in school…"

"Don't worry about it." He said softly. All the frustration he had felt from before had completely melted off his face. He saw her momentarily bite her lip in pain as her body stiffened. His almost jumped up in alarm, but calmed down again when he saw her relax. Kosuke's words were starting to get to him—he could lose her at any time.

"Does it hurt?" he whispered.

Another ache hit her body, causing her to whimper and grip the blankets. Her voice quivered as she tried to speak. "S-sometimes…" Emiko had told her that pain was actually a good thing, because it meant her body was still strong enough to fight the free-flow of energy coursing from her, but she tended to think that it was the free-flow itself that was causing it. Suddenly, her head started throbbing again like it did in class, and her vision became blurred. She felt as if she was sinking into the blankets. Satoshi saw her eyes get cloudy and held onto her gently, so as not to hurt her. This time, Shizuka struggled to stay awake and fight back while she was cheated of her life. She felt as if a wind blew right through her, and as it passed, took most of her spirit with it. She was shaking violently as it happened again, and this time tried to grasp some of the escaping energy. The whole process began to wear her out. Satoshi drew her closer, trying to warm her up.

"Shizuka… it's okay. Just go to sleep. You're hurting yourself more by trying to stay awake." He said, feeling her discomfort. "I'll stay with you."

She hesitantly closed her eyes, letting the life blow through her without a struggle. Instead of focusing on it, though, she focused on Satoshi's arms around her waist, and the warmth radiating from him. She drifted asleep as the process started to let up.

……………………………

Satoshi awoke the next morning to loud voices yelling above his head. His morning weakness prevented him from registering who could possibly be talking or why they would be talking there, so he tried to stay asleep. However, he couldn't help catching bits and pieces of a conversation.

"…here a few hours ago…"

"I don't know who…"  
"…how… gone missing…"

At the last few comments he caught, Satoshi snapped out of his stupor and jumped up quickly. Daisuke and Kosuke were in the room analyzing the window and the area around the bed. Suddenly, he caught on—Shizuka was missing.

"Wait—what's... where's Shizuka?!" He asked, looking around the room.

"We don't know. The window was open, and we found a scuff mark from a shoe near the bed post." Replied Kosuke.

"Are you saying she's been kidnapped?! By who?" He asked frantically, jumping out of the bed to examine the area.

"We also found this, Hiwatari-kun…" Daisuke added, holding out a plastic bag. Inside was a broken glasses lens. "It was at the foot of the bed. It looks like someone stepped on it." Satoshi checked his own glasses—they were still on the nightstand where he left them before he fell asleep, and were perfectly intact. "Then who's—" He cut himself off.

_No…_

"I know who took her." He said, pulling on his shoes. "And I know where she is!" He ran out of the room with Daisuke following close behind.

_This is all __**his **__fault—I was so wrapped up in books and folklore… I didn't even think of it!_

He ran down the street faster than he had ever run before. Adrenaline pulsed through his veins, along with anger. Daisuke ran a few feet behind him, struggling to keep up pace.

_Shizuka shouldn't have been in so much pain yesterday—and it shouldn't have been happening in waves, like when Dark seals an artwork. That bastard is messing with something!_

…………………………………………………………………………………………

AN: I am so sorry for not updating in forever!!! I hope this chapter wasn't too redundant—I was aiming for dramatic. Please review and tell me what you think!!! Thank you for being patient. Only a couple more chapters to go!


	24. Undone

I do not own DNAngel.

Kei Hiwatari smirked as he dropped a girl's limp body onto the ground without so much as a thought. In his hand were two used cloths that had been soaked in a sleeping drug, which he threw aside. _Too easy, _He thought, walking up to the gigantic skeleton that was taking up the center of the small underground room. He casually checked his watch with an impatient groan and pulled out a golden staff from his jacket pocket. With a devious smile, he swiftly scraped his arm along a sharp edge of the Black Wings. Blood was soon dripping down his arm and onto the now glowing staff. Without even cringing in pain, he touched the staff to the Black Wings. _Maybe this will speed things up a bit._ The whole statue lit up within seconds, and two piercing male screams in unison could be heard coming from inside. The screams momentarily blurred together as one, then back to two separate ones as the scream subsided. Then, Kei pulled out from his shirt pocket a small blackish rutile with an intricate design all around it. He glanced back at the girl who was still on the floor, and clutched the rutile tightly in his hand, biding his time.

……………………………

"Hiwatari-kun!!! Hiwatari-kun, wait up!!!!"

Satoshi continued running despite Daisuke's pleas behind him. He was out of breath and his head was throbbing with a searing pain. He felt heavy and clumsy, like he had been asleep for days. He finally stopped when he reached the park where they had taken shelter from the rain a few days ago, letting Daisuke catch up. The wind felt hot on his face, as if someone had turned a fan off that had been blowing violently.

"H-hiwa…tari…kun… where are we…going?" He panted, leaning back against a tree.

"The woods. C'mon, we don't have time to waste." Said Satoshi, already heading forward. Daisuke took a few more deep breaths, then dragged himself behind Satoshi and into the tight forest. They couldn't run anymore, since there was no room, so Daisuke was finally able to talk.

"What are we looking for?"

"A clearing. Shizuka's down there, with my father." He said, not hiding the angry tone in his voice when he said the word 'father'.

"Then it was your _dad_ who kidnapped her? Why?"

"Because he's an abusive psychopath who likes to tamper with magic." Satoshi replied hastily. He kept the majority of his focus on finding the clearing again. Daisuke had so many questions—he was so confused. His mind could hardly process the new version of the curse he had just learned about the previous day, and he definitely couldn't process why Satoshi's father would want to kidnap Shizuka. Most importantly, he couldn't understand why he wasn't able to talk to Dark.

…………………………

Satoshi's whole world seemed to blur around him as he strode through the forest, brushing aside and ducking beneath branches with ease. He kept his gaze forwards and paid no attention to his surroundings, or even Daisuke. His disposition was still composed, but inside his head was steaming with thoughts of anger—he was so angry he felt like he was going to burst. His fists were clenched and his body tense, but he tried to keep his emotions under control as always. This time, though, it only put more stress on him.

Satoshi kept pushing ahead, trying to block out any disturbing thoughts as to what his father had planned when they got there. _I should have thought to check out that clearing more last time… maybe then we wouldn't be in this situation—Why did I have to fall asleep?! If I had stayed up then this wouldn't have happened! He must have done something to break our communication with Dark and Krad…He hates Shizuka—what if he already hurt her? What if she's already—_

"Hiwatari-kun! I think I found something!" Called Daisuke, holding a branch out of the way to show the same small clearing. Satoshi hurried over and they entered, scanning over the scene. There was nothing different at all—no scuffmarks or broken sticks. They made their way over to the shallow well and looked inside, expecting it to be full with water. Instead, it was completely empty.

"Where did all the water go?" Asked Daisuke. "And the moss too. Was there moss on it before?"

"Yeah, I think so." He replied. He circled the well, trying to piece things together. _Even in a well this shallow, the water couldn't have evaporated so fast. Especially with the lack of sunshine lately. _Satoshi was staring into the emptiness when suddenly, an idea came to him. He stepped over the side and into the well. Sure enough, the bottom was thin. It was unstable and was made of a single piece of wood.

"What is it?"

"The bottom is fake. It's hollow underneath." He stepped out of the well and reached in the fell around the bottom edge. Daisuke did the same on his half, feeling for a way to open it up.

"Here!" He exclaimed, pulling on a brown rope. Satoshi walked over and took the rope from Daisuke, giving it a few tugs. He then pulled it over to the other side of the well and pulled hard. The whole bottom came loose and turned sideways, revealing an underground space beneath. Daisuke pulled the bottom out and tried to look inside.

"I can't see anything—it's pitch black!" His voice echoed down into the well.

"They have to be down there. I'm going in. Niwa-kun, you don't need to come with me if you don't want." Satoshi said. He began climbing into the well again, and was sitting on the wall, ready to jump down.

"Don't talk like that—of course I'm coming!"

Satoshi sighed and kicked the loose floorboard down. It fell down into the darkness, completely invisible. After a few seconds of careful listening, they heard the clatter of the board hitting solid stone. It echoed up to them, making it seem much louder.

"That's a long way down…" Daisuke said, peering over into the well. He started thinking of ways they could climb down with a rope or something when Satoshi started rolling up his sleeves.

"I'll go first." He offered, getting ready to push off from the wall.

"W-wait, Hiwatari-kun! We should—"

"This is the fastest way. If you still want to come, give me a few seconds to get out of the way before jumping down." Before Daisuke could protest, Satoshi dropped into the well with his eyes closed and landed gracefully on his feet, one knee bended. The air was chilly and damp, and there was hardly any light. Even the sunlight from atop the tunnel was swallowed up by the darkness. He quickly step forward a little bit to allow Daisuke room to land, but stayed more focused on his surroundings. There was nothing but empty space as far as the eye could see. Daisuke dropped down next, landing right behind Satoshi. He rubbed his eyes, trying to get used to the lack of light.

"Where are we?" He asked, looking around.

Satoshi started forward with one hand slightly outstretched until he found a wall. It was cold and covered in moss, and from what he could tell, was made of the same type of stone the outside well was made of. He continued walking, using the wall as support to find a passage. "We're in a prison cell. People used to be placed in underground cellars like these until they either starved or suffocated to death. I guess the well was just a cover up so that no one could come by and fee the prisoner." He said distantly.

"W-what? But why would your father have brought Inochi-san to a place like this?"

Satoshi continued walking along the edge of the room until he came to a rock with no moss. It wasn't slimy or rough like the other ones. _Someone's been here recently…_

He traced the shape of the stone with his fingers, and then the surrounding ones. It was a perfect rectangle with a smooth surface—just like a regular brick—whereas the surrounding stones were all irregularly shaped and bumpy all across. _Found it._

He pushed the stone inward, creating a scratching sound as it shifted against the other rocks. Next to where he was standing, a huge portion of the wall also shifted inward, revealing a kind of doorway. When he pushed it, it swung open in one piece.

"A secret passage?" Daisuke exclaimed.

"C'mon, we don't have time to waste." He said, starting forward through the newly opened passageway. Daisuke followed closely behind, lagging slightly as Satoshi picked up speed a little bit.

"Hiwatari-kun—stop it! Tell me what's going on! What does your father have to do with all of this? And why can't we talk to Dark and Krad?"

Satoshi kept on walking, keeping one hand on a wall in case of a sharp turn. "He's obsessed with magic. He wants to capture Dark on his own, as much as he denies it. He must have done something to cut our communication with Dark and Krad off."

"But why would he kidnap Inochi-san?" He asked, now jogging slightly alongside Satoshi.

"Remember the deal he had made with Krad a while back? To keep me away from her? Since that didn't work, he's taking things into his own hands." He said, still walking hastily. "A few days ago, he even offered her money to stay away from me." He stopped walking. "There."

Ahead was a large room lit up by a few candles, and in the center of it was a gigantic statue—a hideous skeleton that took up the whole room. Its head hung down, and on its back were two large wings. It looked like something out of a fairytale—something out of a nightmare.

_**Once upon a time… there was a family of artists…**_

While Daisuke marveled at the legendary sculpture, Satoshi caught sight of a small figure lying on the floor in front of it. His heart picked up pace again, and he ran forward leaving Daisuke at the entrance of the room. He knelt down next to the girl, shifting her so that her upper body was resting against him rather than on the floor.

"Shizuka? Shizuka, wake up!" He whispered. She was completely limp. Her whole body was pale—she looked almost grey. Her clothes were dirty and torn slightly, and she had a few bruises where she was lying on the floor—presumably from being dropped. Daisuke came up behind them and sat next to Satoshi on the floor.

"What happened to her?" He asked. Before Satoshi could answer, another set of footsteps entered the room.

…_**In front of her was the Hikari boy, and behind him the Black Wings—and enormous skeleton structure that to her looked like the ugliest thing ever created...**_

"She's unconscious. Nothing to worry about for now." Came Kei's voice in a cool tone. He stood on the opposite side of the room gripping the golden staff with both hands. Daisuke stood quickly while Kei moved towards them. _This must be Hiwatari-kun's dad… isn't that the same staff Hiwatari-kun used a while back?_

Satoshi looked up at him with disgust and carefully placed Shizuka's body on the floor again. He rose and stood in front of her defensively. "What are you trying to do?! Why can't you just stay out of this?!"

"This is as much my business as it is yours. I am your _father,_ after all. I'm just trying to help you break this curse." He said, wearing a mocking smile. He then lifted his free hand and revealed a small, black rutile on a chain. His 'smile' turned into a smirk and Satoshi's heart sank. He thrust the rutile forwards.

"I told you before not to become attached to that girl—these are the consequences!"

…_**The Hikari boy held out a small rutile in his hand and stood like that for a few seconds...**_

For a moment, everyone was still and quiet. Then, the rutile in Kei's hand began to glow a faint greenish color. Satoshi was frozen in his spot—time seemed to slow down as he watched the color around it become more and more vibrant. All at once, its power exploded into a bright light that connected the giant sculpture to the sole Inochi heir. Shizuka's body was engulfed in a green light, which was flowing from her to the Black Wings. The light around her became progressively fainter as the one around the Black Wings became more vibrant. Satoshi and Daisuke could do nothing but watch.

Kei placed the rutile back in his pocket. Instead, he focused on the staff he held in his other hand. "Don't you see?! If I can repeat the events that happened that night, the curse will break and the Black Wings will become whole again! And as its savior, its power will respond only to _my_ command!" He yelled. "Now… to bring them together again…"

Kei took off his coat, revealing a bandage wrapped around his upper arm. With one pull, the bandage came off, and blood started dripping down. Daisuke tried calling to Dark one last time to ask for help. He had no idea what to do. But once again, he got no answer.

Satoshi watched helplessly as strong, bright waves of light traveled from Shizuka to the skeleton across the room. He looked around the room frantically, searching for some way to stop his father's madness. Then he remembered the staff. _He's trying to force Dark and Krad out… with black magic. _He turned his attention to the Black Wings. _If he goes through with this, he won't break the curse—he'll be doing exactly what my family had tried to do. And at Shizuka's expense!_

…_**The boy couldn't think of anything to do to help, and he just watched in fear**__**… **_

Satoshi ran forward and tried to knock his father off balance to get to the staff, but Kei easily dodged him and let the blood dripping down his arm leak onto the staff. It reacted immediately to his wishes. Both boys both fell over in pain as their respective alter egos were ripped out of them. Daisuke clutched his stomach, feeling a burning sensation sweep through him. The very same burning he had felt the first time he transformed into Dark. He looked up to see Satoshi in the same state, and Satoshi's father above them, smirking. Then, with one final pull, he felt Dark's presence within him disappear, and instead saw a small light moving from in front of him to the staff. _Is that… Dark?!_

Satoshi shot up as soon as he saw Krad's spirit heading towards Kei's staff, despite the pain he was still in. This time, he was able to knock him backwards, causing the staff to roll away to where Daisuke was. Kei jumped up and tried to make a grab for it, but Satoshi knocked him over again held him back. While they wrestled, Daisuke got up and picked up the staff before it could roll away from him. Inside the stone he could see two lights inside—both being held captive. _Dark and Krad! Now how do I get them out?_

Satoshi continued grappling with his father, and during the fight, caught sight of Shizuka a little further away on the ground. There was almost no light around her, but the Black Wings were shining brightly, and was still eagerly taking in huge waves of energy from her. While he was distracted, Kei seized his moment and pushed him away. He then started towards Daisuke, who was holding the staff. "Hurry, Niwa! Break it!" Called Satoshi. "Don't let him get it!"

…_**The two families had no relation to each other at the time—just another well-to-do family with a passion for art in their town...**_

Daisuke stepped a few feet back upon seeing Kei approach him, and with one last look at the purple stone, smashed the staff on the ground. Kei growled in frustration and the two lights were freed from the stone. Only instead of returning to their tamers, they began floating towards the Black Wings.

"What?! But they should have—" Started Satoshi, rising from the floor. All three of them were looking up at the Black Wings, bringing the fight to a halt.

"Dark and Krad are two halves of the Black Wings. Therefore, they are attracted to it. There's nothing you can do to stop it now." Said Kei smugly, wiping some blood off his lip. The two orbs of light slowly made their way up to the skeleton, and with a blinding flash, fused to the artwork. It gave off a loud growl as it took its first breath of life as one piece, and its chest started heaving up and down. It stayed stationary, but continued drinking up Shizuka's energy.

…_**The artwork split, and the magic became confused and reversed, creating two separate beings out of the Black Wings…**_

Kei gave a satisfied chuckle, letting his stance falter for a moment. Satoshi, who was boiling over with rage, tackled him to the ground with an angry yell. Daisuke stepped backward and out of the way. "You bastard! How could you do this?!!" He yelled, throwing punches at Kei's chest. Kei threw him off and broke off a piece of sharp bone sticking out of the Black Wings, wielding it like a sword. Satoshi pulled himself up off the ground and lunged at him again, getting in a couple of more punches before being slashed across the chest with the bone. He stumbled backward and brought an arm up to the slice. It was deep, and ran diagonally across the entire length of his torso. Both he and Kei were panting heavily, and stepped back from each other some more. Satoshi's gaze shifted behind Kei, and he caught sight of the light surrounding Shizuka and the Black Wings about to go out.

_The transfer's almost complete?! I have to try something. _He thought, panicking. Suddenly, he remembered the rutile in his father's pocket. _I have to try breaking it. There's nothing else left to do. _

He stepped forward, only to meet Kei's fist in the stomach. His cut burned terribly at contact, but he kept pushing forward, afraid of what he'd see if he let his gaze wander again. He distantly heard Daisuke calling to him in the background, but he couldn't make out what he was saying. He kept his focus on Kei, whom he was now literally head to head with, each trying to push the other aside. Kei still had in his hand the bone he had used on Satoshi, and they were each gripping it above their heads in a kind of tug-o-war, only they were pushing instead.

"Forget it." He growled. "Her time's up. Everything is done and back to the way it should be." His eyes narrowed and he pushed with more force to try and knock Satoshi over.

Satoshi felt his footing begin to falter. Out of the corner of his eye he could see a fading green light, as well as the wings of the skeleton begin to flap. With a surge of energy, he threw Kei forward and gained possession of the blood-stained weapon, causing his father to hit his head on a loose bone sticking out of the statue. The impact drew some blood and a quick grunt, and then knocked Kei out completely. Out from his pocket rolled the black rutile, spinning in a circle on the floor. Satoshi darted past his body, not even congratulating himself on his victory, and snatched up the rutile. With one swift movement, he threw it to the ground with such force that it shattered into pieces. Finally, he looked up to meet his surroundings. Everything was quiet. There were no shuffling feet or yells or punches—just his own heavy breathing along with that of the Black Wings. The skeleton just sat in the center of the room just as before, and did not move nor give anyone any reason to believe it was alive. The room had also returned to its original dim lighting. There was no more explosive green light to brighten up the room.

_Did it work? Dark and Krad are gone... Is the curse… broken?_

"Hiwatari-kun!" Daisuke shouted from across the room. He looked a little troubled. Satoshi started towards him, only then realizing how much pain he was in from the fight. In particular, the slice across his chest. "Hiwatari-kun…she's still…" started Daisuke, struggling to find the right words. He was standing a few feet away from Shizuka, still holding the staff that he had smashed. After what seemed like forever, Satoshi was finally able to make to the other side of the room. His was still panting, and had blood dripping from his cut. He dropped down heavily when he reached where Shizuka was, Daisuke following behind him. He pulled her up gently, and supported her with his arms rather than his chest to avoid getting blood on her. "Shizuka… it's over. The curse… it's all finally over." He whispered, stroking her face lightly with his thumb. "Please wake up…"

"Hiwatari-kun… I don't think it worked…" Daisuke started again. He stood behind Satoshi, bending down slightly. "The light had already gone out… a split second before you smashed the rutile… I don't know if it worked…"

Satoshi's eyes narrowed slightly. "What are you saying?! Do you mean—"

…_**He threw the rutile to the floor, but it was too late—the magic had already been used, and the rutile was worthless...**_

"I'm really sorry, Hiwatari-kun…" He said, moving backwards a little bit. Satoshi pulled her body closer, ignoring the blood just starting to dry up. He shivered slightly when he felt the difference in body temperature. She was ice cold. "Wait—that's not supposed to… Dark and Krad are gone! That's not supposed to happen! She can't be…" He trailed off, his voice cracking. _She can't be dead…_

Since Satoshi was preoccupied, Daisuke kneeled down and felt around her neck with his fore and middle fingers for a pulse. When he didn't feel one at first, he searched more frantically, and then finally did the same with her wrist. "Hiwatari-kun… I'm really sorry." He repeated, backing away. He felt miserable all around. People had been suffering due to his thieving, and if that wasn't enough, those people were his friends. On top of that, he had lost Dark without a word—not even a goodbye. And now he had to tell his best friend that his sacred maiden had been killed, while he was the one doing most of the killing.

…_**When the two boys saw the girl, they fought over whose fault it was...**_

Satoshi's whole body shook upon hearing Daisuke's words. He wrapped his arms around her in a foolish attempt to warm her up, holding back sharp breaths and keeping his eyes shut. "It's not fair… She was supposed to be alright… Everything should have turned out alright…" He murmured, more to himself.

…_**Their fates were set…**_

_**…and the Hikari's: Whoever they love will suffer at their hands…**_

He felt nauseous and weak, and his voice quivered slightly while he talked. When he finally looked up, his eyes met the tall, ugly statue he resented so much. The same one that had killed the only person he ever really cared about. It was breathing heartily, filled with life and magic. He felt his sadness slowly boil into anger, and he laid Shizuka's lifeless body back on the ground, his hands trembling. He stood slowly, and made his way over to the bone he had dropped before. The blood on it had dried up, turning it a brown-crimson. He picked it up and traced his fingers over its sharp edges where it had struck him.

_**Once upon a time, there was a family of artists…**_

His gaze wandered back up to the Black Wings, and without a second thought, he charged up to it and slashed it with the bone, his eyes closed the whole time. Immediately upon contact, the entire statue exploded into a blinding light, and a final, piercing roar was given off before it disintegrated into thin air.

…_**who would have given anything to bring their artwork to life.**_

After the light subsided, Satoshi opened his eyes, breathing harder than ever, and looked back to see Daisuke's shocked expression. In front of him, from where the Black Wings had been standing, the same green light was connected to Shizuka, only traveling in reverse. It was as if someone had rewound the entire process. By the time Satoshi had made his way back to them, the light was already gone, but a faint green glow remained surrounding her. It glowered to the pattern of her breathing, which had started up again. He dropped back down to the floor.

"Look!" Said Daisuke, taking a seat next to him. "When you broke it, it gave everything back… she's breathing again."

Satoshi reached out and took her hand, instantly feeling the warmth of the light around her. She was still unconscious, but he could already see how different she looked. She had more color in her than she did when he had first met her. Everything—her hair, her skin, everything seemed more vibrant. "What's that light around her for?" Daisuke asked.

"I think her body's healing itself…" He said softly. His mood brightened immediately, and he felt somewhat light-hearted. Like a heavy weight had been lifted off his chest.

_I almost lost her… I _did_ lose her… _He thought to himself. He was still in disbelief—he was honestly waiting to wake up, as if it had been a dream. _Now the _real_ curse is broken…_

AN: Sorry for the long delay—hope it was worth it! In case it wasn't clear enough (which I hope it was, since I was debating whether or not to even do so), the bold italics are from chapter sixteen, and they aren't anyone's thoughts or anything. It's just a little narration to show how the curse was being literally undone, and how everything that happened in this chapter was the opposite of what happened originally. Please review and tell me what you think! (And if this was too confusing…) One more chapter to go!


	25. For the Future

I do not own DNAngel

"She's not going to wake up for a while. Why don't you get some rest?" Offered Kosuke, holding a cup of tea. Satoshi was sitting on the bed against the headboard in Shizuka's room. He was shirtless, but had bandages covering most of his upper body. Over the huge slice in his chest was a cloth that tied around him in the back, since none of the bandages were big enough. Shizuka was lying next to him, still unconscious and surrounded by the green light—since there was a lifetime's worth of damage to repair, it would be a at least a day before she could wake up. Daisuke had fallen asleep in the living room a while ago.

"I want to be here when she does." He replied. Kosuke came forward and put the tea on the nightstand.

"In that case, this should help keep you awake." He said, slightly amused. "You really should try and get some sleep, though. _Your_ wounds need to heal, too."

"I'm fine." He said, his voice serious and mature. Kosuke took a seat on a stool next to the bed.

"You know, that cut should have killed you. Not so much the initial impact, but the loss of blood. From what Daisuke told me, you were still fighting even after you got hurt. You know what let you keep going?" He asked. Satoshi shook his head. "That pendant around your neck. Even though you didn't see or feel any sort of magic, that's what stopped that cut from killing you. It's an amazing artifact—not Hikari magic, though." He stood and walked out the door, closing it behind him.

Satoshi was hit with sudden realization. It hadn't even crossed his mind that the wound was fatal, but now that he thought about, anyone else would have died from that. He brought a hand up to the pendant hanging around his neck—the one Shizuka had given him. _It's really subtle magic—I didn't even feel it working._

Satoshi sat up a little bit, cringing all the while. His wounds still burned and ached every time he moved, so he didn't want to take a chance and lie down. He reached for the tea that Kosuke had left on the counter, and took a small sip.

_I hope the police found him alright…_ He thought, thinking of his father. _He'll be charged with breaking and entry, kidnapping, and child abuse. That's a life-long sentence. _

He took another sip of tea, then turned his attention towards Shizuka. Whatever bruises she had gotten had healed. Satoshi placed his free hand over one of hers, immediately feeling the warmth of the glow around her.

……………………………………

"Did you give him the tea?" Asked Emiko. Kosuke nodded his head and took a seat at the table next to Daiki. She sighed, putting a small blue bottle back in a cabinet. "Thank goodness. He should fall asleep soon, then. He won't get any better if he stays awake all night. The sleeping drug should numb the pain, too."

"Sleeping drug?" Asked Daisuke, who had just woken up. He stood in the doorway, rubbing his eyes. "What sleeping drug?"

"O-oh, you're awake? Nothing, just something to help your friend." She said nonchalantly.

"You drugged Hiwatari-kun?! Why do you do this to all my friends?" He exclaimed. While he and his mom bickered, Kosuke flipped through an old, worn out book with pages torn and pictures shoved between pages. It was hand-written, and the pictures were hand-drawn, all sketched in charcoal. There were notes in the margins, and odd symbols adorning the cover. He pulled out one drawing from the back of the book. It was a sketch of a fireplace with an open bottom—a hidden door. There was no signature or date on the painting, but judging by the book's appearance, Kosuke figured it to be several hundred years old, at least.

"I'm going to go tell him not to drink it!" Shouted Daisuke as he began walking towards the hallway. His mom began to protest, but Kosuke stood and stopped her, holding her back gently.

"While you're there, can you put this in his back pack for me?" he asked, handing him the book. Daisuke nodded his head and turned the book around in his hands a few times, examining it. He exited the kitchen and walked down the hall to Shizuka's room. The door was opened just a crack, and the lights were still on. Daisuke swung the door open and tiptoed inside. Satoshi was already asleep—he was still sitting up leaning against the backboard. Daisuke sighed and took the half-empty cup from the nightstand.

_I think drugging people like this is illegal… oh, well…_

He put the book in Satoshi's backpack against the wall, and walked over to the bed. Shizuka was asleep on the far side, and was still glowing vibrantly. Daisuke pulled the covers back a little on Satoshi's side and carefully maneuvered him from sitting upright to lying down—he was in such a deep sleep that he didn't even stir. When he was finally in a seemingly comfortable position, Daisuke pulled the covers back over them, then turned out the light and closed the door.

_They really do make a great couple… Now I just have to tell Riku-san… _

…………………………………

Kosuke leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms. He was seated at a computer desk, with a laptop running and a book opened to the last page. He had finally found what he was looking for—the town that the resource of the book, "Art Myths", was living in. He had gotten the book from Satoshi's backpack earlier that day, and had read the Cultural Reformation section from start to finish.

"Are you still reading that book, Kosuke?" Emiko asked, flicking on the lights in the dark room. She began dusting off the pieces of furniture.

"No, I'm finished. Say, Emiko… what do you think of taking a little vacation in a few months?" He asked casually. She stopped what she was doing abruptly and spun around to face him.

"Vacation? Since when do _you _plan vacations?" She asked suspiciously.

"Well, I just thought that the kids—"

"So you _do _mean everyone."

"—Could use a break now that everything is over and done with… after all, they have some major adjusting to do, what with Daisuke getting used to not having Dark around, and Satoshi's father in prison… I'm sure Shizuka doesn't know anything really about how to use her powers now that she has them…"

"And how will a vacation solve all this?" She pressed, still suspicious of his motives.

"Well, I think it would get their minds off everything."

Emiko sighed and walked over to the computer. "Just tell me what this is _really_ all about."

Kosuke opened a page up to the local airport's website and typed in the name of a town. Only one flight was leaving for that destination, and it wasn't direct. They would have to take three planes to get there.

"This town is in Hokkaido? Why there? And in the middle of nowhere…"

"Actually, it's an old village with its roots in art history. Look, the resource of this book lives in this town. Wouldn't it be interesting to be able to ask him what he knows on the Cultural Reform?" He said nonchalantly.

"I _knew_ it! I _knew_ it was something like this!" She said, flipping through the book on the desk. "I don't see exactly how this is going to 'get their minds off of everything', though."

"I think it would be a good experience. After all, how much do _we_, hundreds of generations and miles away from the roots of the family's history, _really_ know?"

Emiko sighed, then counted on her fingers. "We need seven tickets. That is, if Daisuke plans on taking Riku along as well." Kosuke smiled and began clicking buttons and typing in information.

……………………………………

By the time Shizuka woke up, it was already late morning. Sunlight was streaming through the window, and there was bustling in the hallway. She sat up dazedly and brought a hand up to push her hair back when she noticed that she was glowing bright green. She blinked her eyes a few times, then threw the covers off her. Sure enough, her entire body was glowing. She looked around the room in shock, unable to remember anything after fainting in school and falling asleep next to Satoshi, still feeling sick. Now, she felt wide awake and better than ever.

The next thing she noticed was that Satoshi was still sleeping next to her, only he had slashes and bruises all over his face and shoulders. She pulled the blankets back slightly, revealing the bandages that wrapped around his torso.

_What's going on? Where did all these cuts come from? And what's this green…_

"Oh, you're awake? Good morning!" said Daisuke from the doorway. "Do you feel any better?"

"Yeah… Niwa-kun, what happened?" She asked, observing the glow around her arm.

"Oh, wait… you've been unconscious the whole time…"

"How long?

"All of yesterday, up until this morning, I guess." He said, taking a seat on the foot of the bed. "The curse is broken now."

She waited for him to continue, but he didn't. "Wait, what? How?"

"I'll let Hiwatari-kun explain everything to you when he wakes up." He said, smiling. "It's kind of a long story."

"But how did he get so…"

"He fought really hard. I think you should hear the story from him." He got up and started walking out the door. Shizuka turned back to Satoshi and covered him with the blankets again. She had so many questions to ask—the last time she'd been awake, she was too weak to sit up, but now she felt stronger than she had ever felt in her life. And to think she had been unconscious for only one day.

She could hear excitement in the hallway—Emiko and Daisuke were just outside her door, and it sounded like Daisuke was trying to convince her to leave them alone. She could also hear excited talk coming from the kitchen.

_If the curse is really broken, I guess everyone is celebrating it…_

She was about to get up and walk around the room a little bit, when she felt Satoshi start to stir next to her. He slowly tried to sit up, clutching his head tightly, but just sunk back down. The pain in his chest was still searing and preventing him from moving. Shizuka knelt next to him on the bed and placed a hand on his shoulder where there were no injuries. His head snapped up and he turned his body towards her carefully.

"Don't move too much—" she started, trying to push him back down. He sat up anyway, clutching his side and bending over slightly. His hair hung down over his face.

"You're okay? How do you feel?" He asked, his voice a little shaky.

"How did all of this happen? You're all beat up—who did this to you?!"

He let out a dry laugh, followed by a few coughs. Shizuka kept a hand on his shoulder the whole time, feeling him start to shiver. She took one of the blankets and draped it over him, but kept her hands on his shoulders to help him in case he started to lose balance. When the coughing subsided, he finally raised his head and looked her in the eye.

"Hikari-kun, what happened?"

"My father kidnapped you. He must have drugged us or something—we didn't know until morning. Daisuke and I went to find you, and we went to the well from the other day. It had a fake bottom, and led to a chamber with the Black Wings. That's why you were drawn there—my father was tampering with magic and trying to lure you there."

His voice was a little groggy as he spoke. Shizuka slowly lowered her hands from his shoulders and waited for him to continue.

"When we found you, you were unconscious. He had this rutile he used to give your life to the Black Wings, then he released Dark and Krad with black magic and forced them to join together again. Everything was messed up—he was trying to break the curse by repeating history." He stopped for a minute to catch his breath, and broke eye contact.

"I… I tried to fight him, but everything was happening so fast, and there was nothing to do to stop it... you were still dying. I tried to break the rutile he had used, but it didn't work, and you… you died, Shizuka."

"W-what?" She half whispered.

"After that, I was so angry… the Black Wings was alive, and it was just standing there breathing and flapping its wings… I ended up breaking it, and then it returned everything it took from you." He said quietly. He took one of her hands in his, feeling the warmth of the light surrounding her. "You've been recovering since then."

"All that really happened?" She asked.

"Yeah. But my father's interference really left its mark. Dark and Krad were forced out with black magic—Niwa-kun didn't even get a chance to say anything to Dark before he disappeared."

"Where is he now?"

"Prison. We won't be hearing from him ever again." He said quickly, a hint of relief in his voice. Suddenly, he started coughing again, and Shizuka turned to leave to get him some water. Just as she was about to get up, Satoshi drew her back in and wrapped his arms fully around her.

"W-wait, I don't want you to make your injuries worse like this—" She protested, trying to slide out of his grip. He only pulled her closer, burying his head in the crook of her neck.

"Please… just stay still. You have no idea how I felt back there when you…"

She sighed and slipped her arms around his neck gently. They stayed like that for a while, before finally, the glow around Shizuka disappeared. It dissolved off her body into thin air. Satoshi pulled back a little, letting her new appearance sink in without the glow.

"I can't believe how different you look, Shizuka."

She laughed nervously, brushing her hair back. "I hope that's a good thing…"

Suddenly, something caught her attention. She started examining the large cloth wrapped around Satoshi's torso while he continued talking.

"It is. I—wait, you shouldn't—" He began when she started feeling for the knot of the cloth around his back. When she found it, she pulled it loose and carefully removed the cloth without disturbing the slice beneath it. Before Satoshi could realize what she was doing, she reached out and placed her hand lightly over the cut, causing him to shudder slightly. Satoshi's whole body became engulfed in a green aura, similar to the one that was currently surrounding Shizuka again, and the wound began disappearing. When the first one was gone, she traced her hand up to the next deep one and so on, until they were all disappearing. The process felt warm, and sent a light, tingling sensation throughout his body. When all the wounds were completely gone, the auras disappeared as well as all the pain.

"That was… incredible… thank you." He said after a period of silence. "But do you think you should be doing stuff like that so freely? After you just got better?"

"Would you rather be bed-ridden for the next month? Besides, I wanted to try it out." She said bluntly. Shizuka tossed the blood stained cloth aside, examining her work. All traces of any bruises or cuts were gone. Now that he wasn't wrapped in bandages, she noticed for the first time that he wasn't wearing a shirt. He wasn't muscular by any means, but his chest was slim and toned. She blushed, then turned away quickly and hopped up off the bed to look for a clean shirt he could use.

"And anyway," she continued, murmuring more than speaking, "you saved me before, so I want to eventually return the favor."

"You already did." He replied, holding up the pendant that was still around his neck. "Those wounds would have killed me if you hadn't given me this…"

She picked up a white cotton shirt that was draped over a chair in the corner of the room, and was about to hand it to him, when she realized that it was still stained with blood. She sighed and walked back over to the bed. A silence settled over them again. Shizuka sat at the edge of the bed with her feet dangling off, drowning in her own thoughts.

_What do I do now? I'm free—I can do whatever what I want, so why do I feel so lost?_

"Is something wrong?" He asked, scooting closer.

"No, of course not. Why?" She said hastily.

"I thought you'd be happy, now that the curse is broken. Are you?"

"I am. I really am. I just can't really believe it, that's all." She confessed. "I don't know what I should do with my life, now that I have it…"

Satoshi smiled and shifted so that he was sitting in the same position as her, his feet hanging down. "You can just take one step at a time. You don't need to decide everything right now." He wrapped an arm around her waist. "And you don't need to decide it on your own."

"What are _you _going to do now, Hikari-kun?" She asked. She had started swinging her feet back and forth. Satoshi frowned slightly at her question.

"I don't really know, I haven't thought about it yet." He said just to answer her, not really going into much thought afterward. "Shizuka? Can you call me by name from now on?"

She looked up to see Satoshi's troubled expression. He continued, "I never really asked for your permission to use yours but…"

"Of course!" She exclaimed, trying to hold back a laugh. "And you didn't _have_ to ask for my permission!"

Just then, Kosuke opened the door holding two glasses of water and what looked like white cloth. His expression was amused and surprised.

"What's all the excitement? I didn't know you two were awake yet." He set the glasses on the table. Satoshi and Shizuka both became a little more serious, and Satoshi withdrew his arm from her waist almost as soon as Kosuke had walked in the door.

"Well, it looks like you're all better." He said to Satoshi, handing him a clean shirt. He slipped it over his head and on. "That's good. I wasn't sure if you would know how to heal him, Inochi-san. We would have called a doctor, but we figured it was better to keep the general public away from magic, and we were afraid to move either of you from the bed."

They both nodded their heads, and Kosuke sighed and sat down in a chair on the opposite side of the room.

"I just wanted to let you two know that you're welcomed to stay here. I know you're both independent and I respect that, but you don't need to distance yourselves. I think a family environment would be good for you. Especially now that everyone needs to adjust to their new lives."

He paused, watching the two of them sitting next to each other awkwardly, since they were in an adult's presence.

"Also, and I hope you don't mind my butting in, I think that it would be a good idea for you two not to rush your relationship. You're both still young. You should be around a bunch of other people—you don't have to live by yourselves anymore. And if you decided to rush and move in together—hypothetically, of course," He added, seeing their embarrassed faces, "I'm afraid that you'll put too much strain on your relationship."

"W-we're not thinking anything like that…" Shizuka said quickly, followed by a nod from Satoshi. Kosuke smiled and stood up.

"Well, all that aside, you're both welcomed to stay here. We _encourage _you to stay here—we have plenty of room." He gave the couple one more glance before walking out the door and closing it.

When he left, both of them let out a sigh of relief and stretched from their uptight positions. Shizuka let herself fall backwards so she was half lying on the bed, with her legs hanging off the sides. Satoshi stayed seated on the edge facing the floor.

"Niwa-kun's parents are really nice."

"Yeah, Niwa's lucky." Satoshi replied, looking back at her. He gave an amused smile, then fell back to mimic her position. They both lied there for a minute, staring at the ceiling. The room they were in was like a haven from the chaos outside—it felt like its own little world at the moment. The sunlight streamed through the blinds creating patterns on the ceiling and walls. Satoshi slowly sat up, still leaning backwards but holding himself up.

"I think… I want to keep living on my own."

Shizuka sat up too, waiting for him to continue.

"But not the apartment my father gave me. I'm going to find somewhere I can keep and afford on my own. I'll continue working with the police for now, and I'll keep going to school." He said. Shizuka smiled and nodded her head.

"Then I guess… I'll move back into my apartment." She decided. Satoshi looked back at her in disapproval.

"You should stay here. Niwa's family will take care—"

"No, I don't want to stay here. I came here to live on my own, so that's what I'll continue doing. I already had a family—I don't need to latch onto anyone else's." She said. Now that she was actually talking about her plans out loud, she felt much better and much more excited to continue her life. "I do like it here, and I love Niwa-kun's family, but I don't want to become dependent on them."

She looked back at Satoshi's discontented face, then giggled. "Don't worry—I love _you _more."

Satoshi sighed. "If you're going to leave, at least find an apartment in a better neighborhood. I'll help you look."

"Thanks, Satoshi."

…………………………………

"Here we are. Seven plane tickets for June 18th to Hokkaido. Three plane connection flight." Emiko said reluctantly, holding out the tickets to Kosuke. "I still don't know why we're doing this. We haven't even told any of the kids yet, let alone asked their permission."

"Trust me—they'll come." He said confidently. He took the tickets and placed them in an envelope and into a drawer. "Where's Daisuke?"

"I think he went to meet up with Riku and explain everything to her." Emiko said. "I wish I could be there when he does—this is so exciting!"

"I hope he brings Riku back here afterward. This way, we can tell all the kids about the trip together." He suggested.

"Poor Riku will have a lot to absorb by the end of the day!" She exclaimed. "But do you really think this little town has so much to offer?"

"This is going to be a great experience—I'm sure there's stuff about our family's history that's dwindled down to nothing over the years. The town we're going to is the core of art history. Specifically, The history of the Hikari artworks." He reassured her.

"Sounds more like a field trip than a vacation."

………………………………

AN: Okay, so. I know I cut the chapter off at the worst possible spot, but I'm not too worried about it, because the story isn't over yet. This was the first half, so the second half will be a continuation, not a 'sequel'. (I've decided that's how I'm going to word it).

Anyway, thank you to everyone who read this to the end, and for all the lovely reviews throughout the story! I won't be taking any sort of break before I start, so part II will be up as soon as I update my other story, the same way I balanced this one. Updates will continue regularly, so please stay tuned. I don't have a name for part II, yet, though, so unfortunately if you want to read it you'll have to be on the look out for it. And also, I write a lot on my profile under the 'news' section, so if I haven't updated in a while, you can check there to see what the hold up is.

Thanks again, and I hope you enjoyed the first half of this story! Please review this one last time to give your input!


	26. Off Course

I do not own DNAngel

"_Final Boarding call—all seats, flight 324 to Shiroyama, Hokkaido"_

"Why do they feel the need to announce it, if we're the only people going?" Satoshi murmured as they approached the helicopter that would be taking them the final distance to their destination. It was their third and final flight of the day. They had departed early that morning, flying from town to town, and were now finally heading to the mountainous village of Shiroyama, where they would stay for a month. Daisuke's parents and grandfather boarded first, and seemed to be the least tired of the bunch. They had been looking forward to this vacation for weeks, and took the initiative to pack all of Daisuke's things a month in advance, so he had no weekend clothes left over. Daisuke and Riku boarded next, dragging their suitcases lazily behind them, and finally Shizuka and Satoshi, who were almost hit with the helicopter door when the pilot slammed it shut behind them. There were just enough seats for everyone, but it was very cramped. There was almost no room to move, and they had to take turns buckling seatbelts so no one would get jabbed in the side.

"How far away are we now?" Daisuke asked his parents who were seated in front of him. His grandfather was already fast asleep, but his parents were eagerly browsing through pamphlets they had picked up in the airport. Shiroyama had many museums that were virtually non-existent to the general public, and had backrooms with old, restored artworks. A village like that, home to the art historian that had predicted accurately the motives behind the lost Hikari painting, _had _to have roots in the history of the Hikari artworks.

"A couple of hours. We'll be there soon." His mother reassured him. She had booked them at a hotel in Shiroyama—the_ only _hotel—and was reading through a small leaflet they had mailed at her request. In front of them, the pilot began running the engine and taxiing out of the parking space.

"Is this helicopter stable?" Shizuka asked, seeing the rickety propellers start to turn out the window. She wasn't too fond of flying to begin with—the fact that they were taking a helicopter over water and mountains was a little unsettling. The engine was loud and choppy, and the whole aircraft shook violently when they drove over a bump in the rode.

"It should be fine…" Satoshi replied. She couldn't hear him though—the engine was roaring. He was edgy himself about the flight, but he didn't want to make her more nervous. The seatbelt strap he was relying on was half ripped, and if he gave it a minor tug, it would unfasten completely. Daisuke and Riku sat in front of them, and, from the looks of it, were also examining and questioning the helicopter's ability to transport them miles against wind and possible rain to a miniscule town in the middle of nowhere. He was pretty sure the driver hadn't been there before, either, because he was wrapped up in his map while they pulled away from the airport. Satoshi wasn't even sure the guy was a professional.

Finally, with a cloud of black smoke emitting from the engine and blocking their view out the window, the craft heaved itself up off the ground in a series of heavy, uneven lifts and falls, making them all involuntarily grip the sides and armrests. Riku let out a shriek when the whole craft rocked like a boat, and Shizuka reflexively took Satoshi's hand and turned away from the window. As the ride began to smooth out a little, rain starting pouring from the grey cloud above them, and the winds rocked the craft in occasional violent jolts that had everyone jumping.

It was mid-April, and everyone on the plane had been planning their vacations around this trip for two months, including Daisuke, Riku, and Shizuka, who had to take extra weeks off from school to accommodate the trip. If they missed one more day, they might not have enough to graduate for the year. Satoshi could take as many days as he wanted, and was more concerned with working around his police schedule, which was more important and hard to accommodate around. Everyone had had a rough transition period after the curse broke. Because of Kei Hiwatari's meddling with the nature of magic, Dark and Krad had been ripped out of their respective hosts for good, and had died along with the Black Wings. Daisuke arguably had the worst time adjusting, since he had lost his best friend without warning. As much as he tried not to show it, he really missed having Dark around, and not being able to say goodbye made it all the worse. He also had to explain everything to Riku, who had pretty much become a part of the Niwa family as Daisuke's sacred maiden. It took a while for her to absorb what Daisuke had told her, but she had warmed up to her role, and was excited to be part of the 'curse circle', for lack of a better term.  
Shizuka's adjustment period was centered around trying to figure out how to use her powers, and where her 'breaking point' was, so that she wouldn't give up more than she could regain without getting sick. There was a delicate balance that she would have to learn to maintain, and that would take a while to get a feel for. She had to learn to control how much energy she should give to a paper cut, verses, say, a broken arm. If she wasn't focused, the paper cut could receive superfluous energy, and the broken arm insufficient energy. It was more intuition than a skill that she would have to get used to, since she missed out on sixteen years worth of experience. She lived in an apartment building about fifteen minutes walking distance from the Niwas, which she paid for at the same cost as her old apartment that Satoshi insisted she move out of.

Satoshi was relieved when Krad was taken away from him and his father imprisoned. He was used to living on his own, and had no trouble finding an apartment that he could support on his salary (not to mention the inheritance from his 'father's' estate, which had been passed on to him after his father received a life-long sentence). He continued to work with the police and retained his title of 'commander', only now he went after different cases, and had the satisfaction of working toward a goal and achieving it. Not having to worry that his friends might get killed by either his alter-ego or his father had given him the opportunity, if he _wanted_, to open up a little more. But not surprisingly, he remained his usual self around their classmates, and still only associated with Shizuka and Daisuke, and had accepted Riku as part of their circle. The only difference was that he had given up his glasses.

Suddenly, the helicopter gave a sharp jerk, causing everyone inside, including the pilot, to shriek. There was a huge cloud of smoke forming outside—larger and blacker than before. Satoshi peered around Daisuke's seat into the pilot's cabin, where he saw the man starting to panic and lose control of the wheel. He rapidly flicked buttons and spoke into the communicator, but no one answered. Satoshi was about to get out of his seat to see what was happening, but before he could even stand up, the whole craft rocked and began to rattle from the engine, which appeared to be burning out. The pilot was flung forward out of his seat into the glass windshield, which was now smeared with blood. Everyone began panicking and screaming, and the helicopter started a sharp, rapid fall downward. The propeller could be seen flying away from the window, and the engine had broken completely and they were now being lurched downward by wind and gravity. Kosuke stood up and, grasping the wall for support, examined the emergency exit on the side of the craft. Satoshi, who's seat belt had come loose long ago, rose and tried to help, but was flung to the side when the winds rocked them harshly. He hit his head on the beat up metal wall, and was forced down into sitting on the floor by the craft's sudden turn. He couldn't get up, and had blood trickling down his face. Everyone was now on the ground, either sitting against the back of the seat in front of them or lying helplessly on the floor, unable to rise due to the speed they had picked up. They were falling so fast and so violently—all that could be seen out the windows were rocks and the occasional spot of sky. They were in the midst of a mountain range. Kosuke had been knocked over in his attempt to open the emergency exit, and was on the floor holding his head. Shizuka crawled over to Satoshi after being lifted out of the seat and then thrown to the back wall. When she was close enough, he pulled her into him and held her securely against his chest—it was the only thing he could think to do at the moment. They were on the floor behind a seat, which Satoshi hoped would break their fall a little bit. She also had blood on her face, as well as a bruise on her arm where she had been knocked into the hard metal wall. She held onto him tightly, neither one concerned about their injuries at the moment. Daisuke and Riku were in between the seats in front of and across from them, and were both scared out their minds as well. Daisuke had a large gash in his leg, and Riku looked like she might be unconscious in his arms. Then, the helicopter began hitting the sides of a large rock that scraped the metal off and broke the windows on one side. Everyone was hit with large and small chunks of sharp and ragged glass, and they went crashing straight down into unknown terrain.

* * *

…

Shizuka started to sit up, pushing herself up with her arms, when she found that she couldn't. She was in a small cot in an almost empty room, and her right arm was in a sling. There was a window in the corner of the room, but the shades were closed so she couldn't see out of it. The only other furniture was a small desk at the opposite wall, and a nightstand next to the cot, which looked like it could fold up. The door on the adjacent wall to the bed was shut, but lights could be seen on in the hallway, or whatever room was outside. She slowly edged her way to the side of the bed and carefully let her bare feet touch the floor. She was wearing an old white nightgown and her arm was wrapped rather loosely in a cloth that went around her shoulder and back, then tied on the other side. She carefully shifted her weight to her feet and stepped off the cot. But she immediately felt a searing pain in her head her she stood up, and she staggered to the wall, holding the side of her head with her one good hand.

_What happened? We were on the helicopter, and we were falling… I can't remember anything after that. We must have crash-landed—but where is everyone else? I hope they're here… _

After the pain died down a little bit, she made her way to the door and opened it cautiously. Outside was just a plain hallway with wooden floors and a bunch of small doors along the walls. There were stairs around the corner, and a large room around the other, which was lit up brightly and shining into the hallway. There seemed to be people shuffling around and some low chattering inside. Shizuka, unsure of what to do, decided to walk to the end of the hallway where the light and noise was coming from. All the doors along the wall were identical, and there was a light on in most of the rooms. She silently hoped that everyone else was in those rooms too, or that they were all in the lit up room she was approaching. It felt weird to be wandering around someone's house, but after surviving a crash like the one she had just been through, it seemed more important to find out if everyone made it (as morbid as that sounded). She stayed to one side of the hall in case she lost her balance, so when one of the doors unexpectedly opened, she almost walked into the person exiting.

"Oh! Oh, you're awake!" An old woman exclaimed, wheeling out a metal cart with bottles and damp washcloths. Shizuka tried to peak around the woman to see who was inside, but she closed the door and wheeled the cart away from the door and to the side.

"You're the first one today, Inochi-san. Fourth in all!" She said cheerily. "My husband and grandson found you and some others in a helicopter wreck two days ago. I'm Keiko Yagamachi."

"H-how did you know my—"

"It was a terrible crash, from what my grandson told me. Katsuo—you should meet him. He's your age, learning his grandfather's trade in archeology." She continued excitedly. "He knows all about—"

"Wait—I'm sorry, but how many people did you find in the crash?" She interrupted, a little too worried to be polite. She couldn't see how the woman could rant about her grandson without giving her the status of her friends.

"Eight in all, one dead." She said solemnly. Shizuka sighed, remembering the pilot's regretful death during the fall.

"Then everyone else is here?" She asked anxiously. Keiko nodded and motioned for her to follow her to the brightly lit room she had been heading to in the first place. Shizuka followed behind her, eyeing the contents on the cart. There were some needles and bottles labeled in other languages, as well as a few different herbs in jars.

"Your arm is fractured, and some glass hit the back of your head—nothing to worry about, though. We got that patched up. Niwa-san, his girlfriend, and his father are already awake." She explained. Shizuka looked up, only seeing the woman's back.

_Did she just refer to __**Daisuke**__ as Niwa-san instead of his father?_

"His mother and grandfather are still unconscious."

"A-and the last boy?" She asked awkwardly, a little nervous that Satoshi wasn't mentioned. "Blue hair, light skin?"

"Oh, he's unconscious too." She added vaguely, and a little spitefully. Shizuka shuddered, grateful that Keiko couldn't see her face. Something unsettled her—the way she was referring to Daisuke as the center of his family, the way she had almost forgotten about Satoshi… it made her anxious to learn what kind of care he was being given. They finally reached the end of the hall and entered the large, elaborately decorated room. The couches were a deep red and gold, and the furniture was old and elegant, made of cherry wood. But the first thing she noticed was that Daisuke, Kosuke, and Riku were all sitting around a coffee table, each one with an injury to tell the story. Daisuke had a large bandage that wrapped around his head, and it looked like there was another bandage under his pants where his leg had gotten cut. Kosuke had several bandages on his arms and face where scars were sure to form and Riku had a bandage similar to Daisuke's that covered her forehead. They were all smiling and talking, though, and hopped up when she entered the room.

"Hey! Good Morning!" Daisuke exclaimed, hobbling over. Riku and Kosuke followed, each one relaxed and relieved. The woman smiled and wheeled the cart away back down the hall, leaving them. Shizuka watched her go.

"Are you guys alright? What happened?"

Kosuke gently pushed Daisuke back over to the couch, since he shouldn't have been walking unnecessarily, and they all got resettled. "We're in Aosawa—it's a small village in a valley. Our helicopter crashed on the outskirts of town, and these people were there when it happened. Lucky for us—we could have died from exposure or blood-loss if we were out there too long." Kosuke explained. "This house—it belongs to Yagamachi—the man who was credited in that book. They live here, not in Shiroyama. It was a mistranslation."

"Oh…" She said, preoccupied. She didn't even really know who Kosuke was talking about to begin with. She wasn't sure what to make of the way the old woman—Keiko—had talked about Satoshi, but she didn't like it. Something about the way her tone had changed…

"So we got where we wanted to get anyway! Isn't that great?" Riku added. She had been looking forward to the trip as well, and was ready to take on a bigger role in the legacy she would one day marry into. It took a long while to get used to, but once she did, she came to like the idea.

"Is Satoshi okay? She didn't seem too happy when I asked about him…" Shizuka commented, referring to Yagamachi's wife. Kosuke glanced at Daisuke for a minute, then sighed and turned back toward her.

"He's fine. But this town, Aosawa, it's very old-fashioned, very rooted in art history. I was out this morning, and I did some research and asked some questions. The people here have all grown up with stories of our families. It's part of their culture—some families are even connected to ours by old friendships. They have legends and better records than anywhere else. And all of these people have their own views on the story." He explained, only serving to confuse her more. Before she could ask what he was talking about, he continued, "Most families here… have taken _sides_. In fact, there are rifts so deep between upper class families here simply because of whose version of the story they wish to believe. The majority of families would side with either you or us. The Niwa or the Inochi."

"Then… they don't like Satoshi because of his family?" She asked after a long pause, a little disturbed by the discrimination she was hearing about.

"Not everyone. But most people, yes, don't like the Hikari. Think about it—the stories. They think of the Hikari as savages. It's something that's been passed down from generation to generation—these stories don't have just a small following. This whole town is immersed in it. When they found out that we were all traveling together, as friends, can you imagine what they were thinking?"

"…then we shouldn't be here. Not _this_ house, if—"

"Shizuka-san, if we were to go to another house that supported the Hikari, you and I would be discriminated against. There's no middle ground—it's one extreme or another. I talked to some of the neighbors this morning too." Daisuke chimed in. "It was strange, to introduce ourselves and then see the faces on some of these people."

"…"

"It's a really charming town." Riku stated. "There's just a lot of passion and disagreement when it comes to all this…"

Daisuke smiled at her and took her hand, obviously overjoyed with Riku's recognition as his sacred maiden. When they were seen together, it was the first thing anyone asked. Shizuka tried to wrap her mind around the old-fashioned concept—a town that was centered on their curse, that was divided between sides. It seemed like some weird dream. The woman had been so nice to her, and so nice to Daisuke and his family, and yet was so dead set against Satoshi even though she had never met him before. She could only imagine what people would think if they knew that him and her were not only _friends_, but _together_.

* * *

"…herb, or this one…"

"Why…no responsibility… a Hikari!!"

"…don't insult…"

The voices conversing above him were drowned out partially by the mind-numbing pain Satoshi felt in his head and his body. He was barely conscious of the people in the room, and drifted into and out of sleep constantly. He felt towels being either placed on or removed from his body—he could no longer tell the difference. There were strange scents in the air, and he occasionally felt a needle enter his arm that either numbed his body or stayed put—probably an I.V., but he was too out of it to notice which needles stayed in or not.

When he finally woke up, he wasn't alone in the room. Standing in the corner with a cart full of medicine and herbs was an old couple, apparently arguing about a jar of leaves the man was holding. He sat up slowly, clutching his head with one hand and his side with the other. A towel that had been resting on his head fell off, revealing the blood that was soaked into it. The two people in the room turned to him with shock, but seemed to be indifferent to his waking up. The old woman left the room with a scowl, and the man finished what he was doing at the cart—soaking some leaves in a bowl of water. He had put more in after the old woman left—presumably the cause of their spat, and began soaking a handful of new towels in the bowl. Satoshi watched, slouched against the headboard. He felt awkward, not being talked to or told what was happening. He wanted to know where he was, what had happened, and where his friends were, but couldn't find the words to do so. His eyes fluttered shut, but his mind tried to keep alert. The burning pain kept him from being able to ask. Finally, the old man turned around and brought the drenched towels over. Without a word, he placed one on Satoshi's bare side—he had such a bad gash on his body from a sharp piece of glass that giving him blankets or a shirt would have made it worse. Instead, he wore loose white sweatpants that had some stains and holes in them. The next towel was for his head, where the last one had been. Satoshi cringed when he felt the sting from the soaked towels touch his skin. It wasn't the kind of sting one would get from alcohol—it was much, much worse. Minutes ticked away, with the man all the while holding the drug-soaked towels to his side. Satoshi could barely let out a whimper—whatever chemical those leaves had given off was sending a sharp, stabbing pain throughout his whole body. Finally, the man removed the towels, placed tem on his metal cart, and wheeled it out of the room, shutting the door behind him. No explanations, no introductions.

_Where the hell am I? Is there a language barrier or something? And where is everyone else? _He though groggily. He hesitantly looked down to see the deep, burning gash in his side. It still stung from the drug, and looked as though it hadn't closed yet—only dried up. There was blood all over the white pants he was wearing, as well as on the single sheet he sat upon.

He heard a soft knock on the door, but couldn't find the voice to answer it. There were people talking in the hallway right outside, and he could hear the squeaking of the metal cart go by once again. Then, the door opened slightly, revealing both Shizuka and Daisuke, who only peered in through a crack, and appeared to be unsure whether or not the room was in use. When they caught sight of Satoshi, sitting helplessly against the hard wooden head board, they sighed in relief and swung the rest of the door open. Riku was with them, too. She and Daisuke smiled at him, but then walked away and let Shizuka enter the room by herself. She gently closed the door behind her, turning the knob so it wouldn't make any noise, then walked briskly to the bed where he sat.

"Are you alright?!" She exclaimed, seeing how sickly he looked. He nodded, taking in the injuries she had acquired. Luckily, she hadn't been struck with whatever sharp metal or rock that had caused his handicap. But the bandage wrapped around her head was unsettling.

"What happened?" He struggled to say.

"We crash-landed. Somewhere in the mountains near this town. These people have been taking care of us." She said carefully, unsure of how to tell him of the terrible racism they had already encountered on his behalf. She eyed his wound carefully as she spoke, already trying to determine how she could fix it. "The town is called Aosawa…"

"And…you?"

"I'm fine." She answered, preoccupied. He saw her taking in the wound in his side, measuring it in terms of severity, and when he saw place her good arm discreetly onto the bed, still calculating, he gently pushed her back.

"No, I don't want you to." He stated firmly. She looked at him wearily, as he was unable to even sit up or lie down.

"That's ridiculous—you're going to be in bed for days. You can't even—"

"Do yourself, first." He challenged. She sighed, annoyed at how stubborn he always became when the topic came up. Whenever he got injured during a chase, he never let her help him. She knew it was because he was afraid she would mess up and strain herself, but if he never let her get in any practice, she would never get better at it. And she _couldn't_ heal herself—it was impossible.

"You know I can't."

He nodded, letting a pleased, weak smile cross his face. Suddenly, the door opened again, and the old woman from earlier wheeled in the cart. She looked annoyed and unconcerned, but when she saw Shizuka standing at the bedside, her appearance changed to lively and awkwardly friendly, but disapproving. She parked the cart hurriedly off to the side and rushed over to wear she was standing.

"Oh my, what are you doing in here?" She asked, almost ignoring Satoshi's presence completely.

"I just wanted to check on—"

"Oh, he's fine, dear. Absolutely. Your friends were looking for you—why don't you go join _them_?" She offered, ushering her out the door. Shizuka began to argue that Satoshi was her friend too, and that everyone else _knew _where she was, but Satoshi interrupted her.

"It's fine, Shizuka. I'll see you later." He reassured her, smiling weakly. She knew he was probably happy to get rid of her, so she wouldn't try to fix his injury, but she was a little reluctant to leave him with this woman, who paid him no mind at all. But she was thrown out the door too quickly to argue.

"Woah, what happened?" Daisuke asked, almost bumping into her.

"Uh, I got kicked out…"

* * *

AN: It certainly has been a while… I'm not even sure if I still have the same audience, but I decided to finally finish this chapter and post it.

These past few months, I've been writing my Kingdom Hearts story nonstop, so my writing style has changed dramatically since I last updated… and it's kind of difficult to switch back and forth from one OC to another, since I haven't written this story in a while. But I'll be finished with my other story in about ten to twelve chapters, so afterward, I can focus solely on this one. Updates will be slow, but since this story's chapters are generally a little shorter, I'm hoping I can balance the stories again. This half of the story will focus more on the curse, and I also want to develop Shizuka's character more and develop her relationship with Satoshi, since I did none of that in the past.

Well, I hope to hear from whoever is still keeping up with this! I really need to hear your input! Thank you!


	27. A Strange Place

I do not own DNAngel.

* * *

"Well, you certainly got caught in quite a fall, didn't you?" the old woman asked Satoshi awkwardly as she began to mix some powders and leaves into a bowl, crushing them with a wooden spoon. It was the first thing had she said to him. He just nodded; he was confused by her strange attitude. Not to mention how hastily she had thrown Shizuka out of the room, telling her to go see 'her friends'. He felt trapped; shouldn't she be allowed to see him? These people really were strange, and very old-fashioned. Even the way they dressed was peculiar—they wore traditional, casual work kimonos of faded, pastel colors and the old woman kept her hair up in a bun, held in place by a large, fancy hair clip, presumably a family heirloom. The doors were eastern style and slid open, although made of wood and not paper. The windows weren't very up-to-date, though, and couldn't block the terrible, humid heat from infiltrating the small infirmary room.

"Here. Drink this," she commanded, handing him the bowl of now dissolved herbs. He wanted to refuse—he had no idea what she had put into the mix, but she nearly forced it down his throat before he could answer. He couldn't fight her; he just swallowed it so he wouldn't choke. It tasted terrible, and burned as it went down.

"You'll feel better, soon, I'm sure," she said sternly, as if she were _telling_ him to feel better, not that he _would_ feel better. Satoshi nodded, unable to find any voice to answer her with due to the stinging medicine. She gave a curt nod and promptly left the room.

_Where __**are **__we? This doesn't seem like a very sanitary hospital… _he thought, taking in the dusty windowsill and the cart of messily labeled jars, some without lids. _And what's with these people… why would they just throw Shizuka out like that? I hope she's okay, what with the kind of care they're giving us… _

He slowly tried to sit up, to reach a glass of water that was on the nightstand next to the bed, but his wound stung even worse than his throat and he had no choice but to ease back down, just out of reach of the glass. He felt stiff, and the clothing they had given him was scratchy and irritating. It felt worse to be cooped up while everyone else was out and about, injured, but able to walk. A year ago, being alone like this wouldn't have bothered him—he actually would have _preferred_ it—but right now, in this eerie, awkward situation, he desperately wanted someone to come and at least explain what was going on. There was no end to the questions he could ask.

After a few minutes of thinking and wondering, he began to feel drowsy and numb. He tried desperately to keep his mind reeling—he knew that whatever herbs the woman had given him must be starting to set in. But part of his mind was already drifting off into sleep, and as he lay there propped up against the hard metal headboard, his thoughts slowed down and became drowned out as he slipped into a comatose state.

~…~

Shizuka sat down at the table uneasily with Daisuke, Riku, and Kosuke. Emiko and Daiki hadn't woken up yet. She had tried to insist that she dine with Satoshi, who was still shut away in the small, cluttered room, but their hostess had ignored her requests and sat her with her friends in the same antique living room as before; she acted as if having her stay with him would be too much trouble to put her through. So she took a seat next to Daisuke at a small square table with a few different dishes neatly set up in the middle—a true cultural meal, with specialties from the mountain village. When they were all settled, Keiko Yagamachi exited the room briskly, so as not to disturb them. Shizuka relaxed when she left the room.

"They're not going to eat with us?" she asked, looking over her shoulder.

Kosuke shook his head. "No… I had a feeling they might not. They probably don't want to intrude."

Truth be told, it was a relief to her that they could be left alone. She had only met the husband once, the man who wrote the art history book, and he had seemed nice and welcoming—overjoyed, even, to have them there. As Kosuke had explained, this was a huge deal to them. But every time his wife was in the room, it was as if a dark cloud presided overhead. She didn't seem as warm and motherly to Satoshi as she did everyone else, and that made her nervous. Aside from keeping him company, half the reason she had wanted to have dinner with him was to make _sure_ that he was indeed getting the same treatment. She couldn't judge whether or not they would go so far as to feed him differently. She would ask him about it next time she could sneak in to check on him. She had been kept busy the whole day, and away from the hallway he was recovering in.

"Wow, you guys are really revered here!" exclaimed Riku to Daisuke and Shizuka. "I've never seen anything like it!"

"Well that's what happens in small towns like these," explained Kosuke. "It's an age old tradition. Can you imagine what it must be like for them? To meet descendents of the long-hidden families they grew up hearing and telling stories about… and all three of them together. It must be truly extraordinary. Like some kind of blessing."

"Would it be wrong of me to ask if I could stay with Satoshi?" she asked, trying to find a way to avoid being kicked out again.

"I don't see why not…" Daisuke replied. "They can't just throw you out—not if he wants you there."

"When I tried to ask, she just ignored me…"

"Don't be such a pushover—do you seriously think they would say 'no'?" Riku pointed out. "If you told her you wanted to stay, then she would let you stay. How could she refuse? You just need to be more assertive."

"I guess you're right…" she trailed off quietly as the conversation switched to a new topic. She felt so uneasy—she just wanted them to get out of this house, to take Satoshi to a _real _hospital. These people had strong opinions—could they actually be trusted to take care of someone they've hated all their lives? She doubted they would do anything to harm him outright, but the way they overlooked him made her uncomfortable.

Later that night, she decided to check on Satoshi again. It was around ten thirty, and everyone was taking showers and turning out the lights in their rooms. She crept down the hallway, careful not to awaken anyone who was already sleeping, and then slid the door to his room open. The old wood creaked against the floor, making her cringe._ I shouldn't even__** have**__ to sneak around… _When she entered the room, she found him already asleep, propped up against the headboard. The lights had already been flicked off, and there was a food tray sitting on his nightstand. She maneuvered over to that side of the bed to get a look at what they had given him. He didn't budge at all—they were probably providing him with sedatives for the pain.

On his tray was a half-eaten piece of bread, some broth, a plate with a few cut-up pieces of chicken—the kind they had been served for dinner—and also some vegetables that she recognized. She sighed in relief. At least he wasn't being fed dog food or anything. She noticed he hadn't really touched the meal, though. It probably hurt to eat. She looked over him, taking in the fresh, open wounds that were left uncovered to get some air. It looked miserable; he couldn't even lie down or use the bed sheets.

_How does he expect to live like this? It'll take weeks for him to heal, and even then, he'll have painful scars all over his body…_

After edging her way to the bedside, very careful not to wake him, she hesitantly lifted her hand to his chest. She was almost afraid to touch him—she didn't want to hurt him or wake him up. And although she tried not to think about it, she wasn't sure exactly how she could help him. She had never had to heal anything so extreme before; she was nervous she might mess it up. All the things that could go wrong buzzed around her mind: too little effort and his wounds wouldn't close the right way, then he would wake up and the chance would be wasted; too much and she could potentially lose control and hurt _both_ of them. His body could go into shock, and she could possibly end up killing herself; since he was asleep, there was no one here to stop her or break the connection if that were to start happening. And then, if the odds were really against her, there was that slim chance that she could accidentally take _his_ energy instead. That part of her powers was still uncharted to her—that she could kill someone if she wanted to, just by taking their life instead of giving it. Part of her even denied the fact that it was possible, since she could barely measure how to mend a cut or a bruise. If she had known all the dangers that using her powers posed, she wouldn't have even tried to heal him after the encounter with the late Black Wings. She had never been as lucky.

Once, maybe a week or two after the curse had been broken, Satoshi had come back after a police chase with a minor slice in his upper arm, hastily bandaged up on the scene. They were still living at the Niwa's at the time, trying to find places of their own to live in, so she was the only one still awake when he got back. Everyone else had either gone to sleep or was relaxing in their rooms. He hadn't wanted her to try to fix it—it wasn't even that big of a cut. But she was so desperate to try it again that it didn't matter if it was already beginning to close. It took some relentless persuasion, but she finally convinced him to let her give it a try. They were in his room just sitting on his bed—she had followed him there—and she had made sure to get everything right. She had rolled up his sleeve and had gently removed the white wrap bandage, then tried as hard as she could to judge just how long and how strong of a dose of her energy such a wound would require. And she had gotten in right. But as soon as she made contact, her thin fingers just brushing against the crimson dried up cut, and unleashed the restraints to allow a transfer, her mind went blank. She completely stopped thinking as the energy flowed beyond her control. She swore she could see nothing—nothing but blank white space. It was only when Satoshi pushed her back that she snapped out of it, his warm hands firm on her shoulders. She blinked a few times, then registered what had happened by the look on his face—one of alert, fear, and frustration. Sure, the wound was gone, but in the few seconds that her hand was in contact with his scarred skin, her eyes had gone empty and magic overflowed into him at an uncontrollable, shocking rate. She had fainted after that, when the after effects of the transfer settled in. And the next morning she hadn't woken up until midday, so Satoshi and Daisuke were already at school. Satoshi had informed Emiko and Kosuke of what had happened, so it wasn't even like she could pretend to have just overslept. It was the first time since before the curse was broken that she had had to take it easy, the way she used to. She had to admit, she really had no idea how her family did it. She was sixteen years behind in training.

Satoshi's body didn't even budge when she lightly touched his chest, where one of his more major slices lied, but his breathing sharpened a little from the pain. She thought for a minute, taking everything into consideration and trying to focus on how to think, how to let down that invisible, weak shield that contained her life force in its shell. Then, she pulled her hand back reluctantly.

_Maybe I shouldn't try it now… only because there's no one else here…_

She sighed as the anticipation wore off and sat on his bed. But just as she was starting to relax, the door swung open and the old man, Yagamachi, wheeled in the squeaky cart, jars bumping against each other. He looked to be the same age as his wife and wore a blue-gray robe that touched the floor, probably from when he was taller and younger. He looked surprised to see her, but just continued to park his cart and take away the tray of food which Satoshi had hardly touched. It seemed as though her presence was a distraction for him; he looked uncomfortable, like he was in the spotlight. She found this odd, only because he had written books about their families, and yet he hadn't really spoken to them yet. Wouldn't someone so interested want to take the opportunity to interview them, ask questions that only they could answer? Then again, maybe he was just tired, since it was so late at night. As he began to mix together some herbs, Shizuka slid off the bed and carefully approached the cart.

"U-um, what are you giving him?" she asked meekly, her voice barely able to rise over the grinding of the leaves. He didn't make eye-contact with her at all, but whether it was out of respect or annoyance she couldn't tell.

"Just some painkillers…" he mumbled.

"Oh…"

She would have liked to stay for a little longer, but she sensed that he was tenser now than earlier in the day, when he had introduced himself very politely and traditionally with his wife. (Although it seemed like they were always tense when they were in Satoshi's room.) She walked back toward the door without making a sound, so it wasn't until she creaked it open, letting the light in, that he realized she was leaving.

"You shouldn't be coming in here. He's in good care—he just needs rest," he called over from the cart. She swallowed; once again, she was being kicked out of the room. He went back to work, mixing and crushing the dark green leaves in the specially crafted bowl. He had a pitcher of water with him, too, which would be mixed with the fine powder he was creating. Shizuka glanced back at Satoshi one last time before walking out the door. He was still asleep, but even unconscious his face looked pained.

~…~

The next day, as soon as she had eaten breakfast with Daisuke and the others, Shizuka was taken to a new part of the house by Keiko—the music room. She hadn't even had time to stop by Satoshi's room—she suspected that the woman wanted to keep her out of that hallway. The thought of the blind prejudice make her feel sick; couldn't they give him a chance? He was a person, like any other. His heritage shouldn't dictate his _own_ personality. It was like there was no way he could redeem himself—they had made up their minds. He was a Hikari, and therefore he was their enemy.

The music room was small, like all the other rooms in the house, but it was elaborately decorated and housed many, many fine instruments, all of antique backgrounds. There, she found violins, violas, cellos, double bases, a lone shamisen, chimes, hand drums, flutes, clarinets, and a large, golden harp that shone brightly in the corner of the room. There was no piano, no guitar, or no brass instruments—there were only old, pure, hand-crafted pieces of decades past. The walls were painted a deep crimson, and the furniture was made of a cherry oak, much like the large greeting room upstairs where they tended to gather every morning. Pictures also adorned the walls and filled the place with a sense of life. As she made her way around the room, she noticed that all of the paintings were old, some faded and chipped, but not in any special encasements that would help to preserve them. And even more disturbing, though she knew she should have expected it, was that not one of the paintings featured the name 'Hikari' in the corner. They were all by other artists, some unrecognizable to her. But nothing by the mysterious, age-old family whose creations sparkled above those of their rivals'.

Footsteps from a neighboring room made her jump, and a door on the far side of the room slid open to reveal a boy no more than seventeen years old, clad in a work-shop apron. She blushed automatically—there was no one else with her, and she hated meeting new people like this, by herself. The boy had brown hair, brown eyes to match, and a smile that radiated friendliness and confidence. He pulled off his gloves and placed them on a table in the corner, then strode over to meet her, dodging the scattered instruments as if it were second nature. He motioned toward one of the painting she had been looking at. "That's a Yuunagi landscape, dated 1590 A.D. Acrylic, I think. We don't use special treatment for the paintings—they have a life-span, just like humans. When they die, we put them to rest." He explained. He took a place next to her and straightened the canvas on the wall. "I'm Katsuo, Yagamachi's grandson." He said casually, giving her a slight bow.

"O-oh…" she acknowledged shyly. She felt that it was a waste to let these masterpieces wither away and oxidize, but didn't say so outright. Like Kosuke repeatedly said, this was practically a religion to them. "I'm Shizuka, by the way." She said quickly, almost forgetting to introduce herself. She bowed hastily.

"I know who you are. I've been waiting to meet you—I guess my grandparents have been keeping you busy these past few days, huh?"

"Yes… they're very hospitable... a-and you have such a nice home," she commented, trying to be polite without freezing up. "I mean, you and your parents live here, don't you?"

He nodded, "Yeah,_ I_ do. My parents live on the other side of town. I moved in to train with my grandfather."

"Oh, what are you training to do?"

"Archeology and carpentry," He said nonchalantly. "Family thing."

To Shizuka, he seemed very different from his relatives in his mannerisms. He was more laid back, cool, more modern. But at the same time, he still seemed to take an interest in art. She had to wonder whether or not there was _anyone _in this town who got tired of hearing these legends. He was like a blend of his grandparents' and villages' values and pride in history, with a touch of contemporary influence. He wore regular, western pants and a shirt beneath the apron, but still had bowed rather than shaking her hand. He walked over to the large harp in the corner of the room and took off his apron, then tossed it onto a small coffee table that she hadn't even noticed. The room was so crowded with furniture, paintings, sculptures, and instruments, that it was almost too much to take in on one visit.

"So do you want to take over your grandfather's trade?" she asked politely, trying to keep the conversation flowing. He was pulling a new, clean pair of gloves out of a drawer—from an ornate, hand painted table.

"Yeah. Someone has to take care of all the artworks here. We have a pretty impressive collection—this isn't even half of it," he stated proudly. He then lifted the large, brilliant harp onto a small cart and secured it with some ropes.

"You must start training pretty early. By the time you inherit this place from your father, you'll already be a professional," she praised kindly. She didn't want him to think she was rude or ungrateful to be staying here.

"Nah, he's not interested in this stuff._ I'm_ next in line."

"Oh, then is he in another line of work?" she had figured that everyone stuck to their families' estates and trades. The town seemed so into passing on titles and keeping with tradition that she didn't think there could be exceptions.

"Sort of. He and my mom _restore_ artworks. They don't really think twice about filling in gaps with their paints and glues—it's such a shame. We just preserve them," he wheeled the harp to the door that led to his grandfather's workshop, careful to refrain from touching it, even with the protective gloves. She was surprised at how serious a teenage boy could be in executing his work. (Then again, Satoshi and Daisuke were no different in that respect.)

"Is there something wrong with it?" she asked, pointing to the harp.

"No. It just needs to be tuned."

"Oh, so you play?" she inquired curiously, looking around the room filled with so many priceless works. None of the instruments were laminated or coated with that clear, heavy shine. They were all fresh, polished only by the crafter's sandpaper.

"No," he laughed, "I can't even _tune_ the little ones—the violins and violas. I'm afraid I might break them. No one's touched them in years."

"I can… I mean, if you want, I can tune them," she offered. She still worked at the string shop downtown, tuning and fixing strings and bridges. She hated to see so many instruments out of use.

"Really? That'd be awesome," he exclaimed, genuinely pleased. Then his expression turned hesitant. "I mean, you don't _have_ to. I don't think my grandparents would want to make you work…"

"It's my pleasure. I won't tell them, if you don't want me to…"

"No, they'll notice anyway. That's alright, though. If you want to, you can. Otherwise, don't worry about it," he said, not really worrying over it. He seemed so calm and at ease with his work—she wondered whether or not it had ever registered that if he dropped anything here or handled anything the wrong way, it would shatter. He opened the sliding door to the workshop on the other side. "I'll see you around. I can't slack too long—I'll get in trouble," he laughed. "Maybe I can give you a tour around the town sometime?"

"A-alright… if that's alright with you, I mean."

"Yeah, definitely."

"Okay… well, nice meeting you…"

A slam came from inside the workshop, and he was out the door in a heartbeat without glancing back at her once. She sighed and picked up one of the violas, then gently plucked across all four strings. They were horribly loose and out of tune, and the bow, sitting on a music stand, desperately needed to be re-haired. She couldn't fathom why they would let these ancient artifacts sit outside of their cases. In fact, the cases were scattered everywhere, on tables and chairs around the room. It was a strange concept—they _preserved_ artifacts, and no doubt uncovered them, yet they made no move to halt the aging process or put them on display for the rest of the town to see. She could understand not wanting to touch the chipping paint, but why wouldn't they encase them or keep them away from the poisons of the dust and the air? And Katsuo… he seemed to talk down on his parents, like they were out of their minds for wanting to restore the priceless artworks. She had also grown up in a small town, but she would never have dreamed of being so condescending.

_Things here really __**are**__ backwards…_

~…~

Satoshi woke up around noon, feeling heavy and sore, as always. _Day three… _He reminded himself. He was so _bored_—and he had _never _thought he could become bored. No one came to see him except the Yagamachis; they came with medicine and food that he couldn't even eat because his throat hurt so badly. But he hadn't heard from Daisuke yet, and hadn't seen Shizuka since two nights earlier. He didn't even know if she was alright; the old couple certainly didn't tell him anything. For the first time in his life, he felt lonely. _She must be busy… I mean, I __**hope**__ it's just that… _

He was _dying_ to be able to get up and walk around; his limbs were stiff and numb. His wounds were steadily healing, but the pain remained present. Even just shifting a little bit to sit up or take a drink sent searing pulses throughout his body. And the drugs that they were giving him, aside from easing the pain, gave him migraines and ear-aches.

_I wonder what everyone is doing right now…_

He had been reluctant to come on this trip. A family 'vacation,' as Kosuke had put it. It seemed a hassle at first, to drop everything, leave his new apartment with boxes unpacked, and take leave from his job at the police station. But when the day actually started, when they left the Niwa's at four o'clock in the morning to get to the domestic airport, he had been excited. He never traveled for leisure—it was something he assumed only families could do. But there he was, alongside his girlfriend and his best friend's family, taking plane after plane to an adventure in a far away, isolated village. As strange as the concept of the trip sounded, _he_ actually felt like he was _normal_. Like it was just an everyday 'vacation' to somewhere that held in its depths the traditions and culture of a rebirth of artwork. But he hadn't anticipated their helicopter to crash, or for them to end up in a crazy, old terrain that seemed eerily frozen in time. No one was explaining anything to him—he had no idea why these people had a problem with him, why they had shooed his girlfriend away, why they didn't even care to spare him a glance while they were injecting him with needles or making him drink their strange, bitter herbs and spices. He just wanted to get on another plane and go _home_. It was obvious they didn't want him here.

His infirmary room felt like it was its own little sphere of space. The windows that didn't close were a portal to the bright, gorgeous scenery outdoors, and out in the hallway, behind the door, was a constant bustle in the mornings and evenings, and then complete silence for most of the afternoon. He was utterly disconnected from the rest of the house and the people in it. Never had he longed more for someone to talk to him, to inform him of their strange surroundings. It felt babyish, but he missed the new comfort his friends brought him.

_I just hope everyone is okay… They're probably keeping Shizuka out of here on purpose—I wish I could at least see her once in a while…_

Following some footsteps and the all too familiar sound of the squeaky cart, the door opened and in walked his hostess with her medicinal herbs, needles, and cool gaze. He braced himself for the discomfort and inevitable numbness that would accompany sleep as she crossed the room to his bed.

* * *

AN: Hey everyone—sorry for the incredibly long wait on this update, and for the shortness of this chapter. I'm still working out some kinks with the plot.

I have so much to get to for this story, and yet I'm lacking in ways to develop Satoshi and Shizuka's relationship. It's partially because I'm not as much of a Satoshi fan girl as I used to be, and so I'm more into the plot than the actual romance aspect. So I do have some things in mind, and I'm sure I'll come up with more, but if anyone has any suggestions or things they'd like to see, I'd be glad to take them into consideration.

So, there's a new OC, Katsuo, (he's actually the reason I'm excited to be starting this up again.) This was just a brief introduction—I didn't really get into his character yet. And aside from my obvious bias toward orchestra, I suppose that's all I've to say for this chapter! Please review with input!


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